Sekrei: The Fight for Freedom
by DanteJayman1
Summary: Two chapters went up! Only took me the whole summer! I do not own Sekirei or any of the characters within besides characters I create that will be pointed out within. **Note: This is an O.C story! Cannon Sekirei are used!** All rights go to the creator.
1. Prolouge: Resolution

Please forgive me, but I have no clue as to what I'm doing. Hopefully I do this right so I can begin writing my stories. Seeing how this will be my very first fanfiction, I must bring to your attention that I writed and create stories based around Satero (last name is subject to change, although I do like Notame). He is "changed" often to fit into a story. I plan on writing a Rosario Vampire fanfic and what not. This story will be a "M rated" story, due to my fascination with intercourse. I can be such a perv sometimes I swear…

Well, without further ado...

Prolouge: The Resolution

"Considering everything, you still want to go there?" the lavender-haired female asked me in surprise. Her gaze was piercing as always, but thankfully, she hadn't used her oh-so-scary visage thing.

"Well, Why not? Maybe I can find answers... maybe I can find a way to stop this-" I begin to relent, my idea becoming more and more resolute as I think about it.

"THOU ART TOUCHED IN THINE HEAD TO IMAGINE SUCH DRIVEL! AS THINE ONE REAL AND TRUE WIFE, I ADVISE THEE TO TURN AWAY FROM SUCH RISK!" an angry voice interruptted me.

"Tsukiumi, I-" I tried.

"Silence thy tongue, for I will hear no more." She interrupted. She crossed her arms in an irate huff, and turned away from me. Ouch.

"Satero," The lavender-haired woman once again recalls my attention. "MBI wont stand for it. It's a well protected secret. One that I was once tasking in protecting. You step foot on that island, and there's no turning back."

At this my eyes shift downward. My head was beginning to hurt. "Granny-Miya...I have to go. _**It** _**has to be there." **I argue. The pain in my head was surely traveling to my eyes, though I couldn't fathom why. I bit my lip and braced myself. I could handle the reactions. I looked up, Taking a good look into each woman's eyes. In Miya's, there was only concern. In Tsukiumi's were undiluted pride and anger. I turned to #10: Uzume, and she returned my gaze with a simple nod. #6 Homura, was sitting with her (or his) Ashikabi in the corner with understanding registering. Minato looked downright downcast, scared out of his mind. #88: Musubi stroked his hand comfortingly and smiled, but you couldn't miss the excitement in her eyes. #02 Matsu looked solemn, she of course being privy to the knowledge dropped on me. She took no pains to reassure her Ashikabi, Minato who was falling to pieces. This was serious. I kept looking. Kazehana #3, was looking as concerned for me as Miya was. Trinako #24, seemed to be far away. No doubt trying to imagine the outcome of my daring task. My eyes rove over a sleeping Kuu, and land finally on her. Yume. Her face was calm, masked. As I watched her face, she lowered her eyes at me and smiled slightly. The love and support there was unmistakable. That was all I needed. "That doesn't to me. I'm strong enough now. With or without your help," I addressed Minato's sekirei and mine, " I'm going to that ship. I'm going there and I'm taking that master jinki. One way or another..." I trail, my resolution beginning to pour into each word I say. "This crazy ass game that Minaka set up ends. Soon." With that I get up to prepare.

_And that's what led to this..._ my thoughts reminded me, as I crouched clutching a dislocated right shoulder. Along with that, I've been sliced to ribbons and beaten to a plup. Yet still, here I am. "WHERE'S THAT FIRE YOU HAD? FINALLY GIVE UP?" the pink-haired sekirei screamed in hatred and victory as she descended upon me to deliver the killing blow, an ashen-haired woman smiling manically in the distance. I closed my eyes and steeled myself, then truned my gaze upward, and opened my eyes to my impending death.


	2. Feather 1

Okay, so I would like to know how my last pseudo chapter went. Was it good? Bad? Did it need more writing? I would have done two or three more chapters if it were not for the fact that it was two a.m. Plus, I have to get on a plane… *SIGH* ANYWAY… This will be the official first chapter so, Yeah. Enjoy. Please remember to like and review my story. I wish to improve my writing as much as possible.

A Seki-Say-What-Now?

Sleep is pleasant. When you sleep you dream, and when you dream, you live things you know probably wouldn't happen in reality. Therefore, if I told you that I dreamt about a beautiful, buxom brunette woman that was calling to me repeatedly, it would be realistic to say that I'm dreaming right? Right. Only problem is, it felt so real. I know I was dreaming because it had that almost untouchable and intangible consistency to it. It was very bright, but I couldn't help but notice that everything was dark in the sense that there was some sort of film covering my eyes. "Satero-sama! My Ashikabi! I've found you!" The female gushed. I heard her, but it was like she was muffled, like she was trying to talk to me through a wall. I wanted so badly to reach out, and touch, to draw closer to her, but I couldn't move my feet or my hands. Then abruptly, my pleasant dream ended.

"WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD!" Yukari's voice blared in my ears before a textbook found my forehead. Ouch. My knee-jerk reaction was instantaneous. My limp and dangling foot shot out and clipped her in the face. Oops. _Takami-san is going to kill me._ Yukari doubled over cupping her face and moaned in pain.

"WHA DE HELL WA DAT FER!?" she wailed. She was on the verge of angry tears and her nose was red. I hoped it didn't. I didn't need that kind of pressure…

* * *

"I'm sorry Yukari, Knee-jerk reaction. You shouldn't go around smacking people in the head with textbooks. Tips for the future. Now let's get you some ice, eh?" I say coolly, maintaining my composure. I've never been one to freak out about things, and if I did, it was all internal. I picked myself up out of the bed and spared myself a glance at the clock posted next to my bed. It was 8:37, approximately thirty minutes before I planned to get up. Oh well. I was supposed to go looking for a place to live anyway. I thought back to last month, remembering my walk across the stage and my diploma being slapped fiercely into my awaiting palm. Yukari, Takami-san, and Minato all showed up to cheer me on. I've never been one to cry, so when tears escaped my eyes at my adoptive family's support, the teachers on stage stiffened and inhaled in surprise. I bent my head and removed all evidence of tears and slapped my poker face on, earning a concerned but somehow understanding from the teachers. They each took turns hugging me or giving me a handshake before I left the stage and began my life as an adult. Come to think of it, my birthday was soon, although, I'd be celebrating it alone. I was moving out by the end of the week. _To think I'd pass the Tokyo U. exam with a 97.4%! I'm starting University on my first try!_ I thought with a sense of giddiness.

"Why are you grinning like an idiot?" Yukari seethed, breaching into my thoughts and tainting them with the sudden desire to drop-kick her down the stairs. She was grinning now, so apparently I was forgiven for my earlier free shot. Sweet.

"Well, I was thinking about my future, you know? It's been a long road and here I am, getting ready to move out and start University. It's kind of a sobering and exciting thought. I've made it." I allowed myself to say. Opening up to the Sahashi family was no longer a chore, just something I had to remember to let myself do.

"Congratz!" Yukari said in mimic of the same phrase she said a month ago. I smiled in response. As I trotted down the stairs, a creeping twinge in the atmosphere set me off to something around the corner. I sensed Minato's and Takami's presence in the kitchen. I also was aware of how their energies were bunched up, like they were trying to reel in their excitement and keep it hidden from me. I couldn't place what was around the corner, so I hesitated. I hated surprises with a passion. They made me jumpy, and nervous. Yukari says I'm just paranoid, but Takami approves of my "awareness", as she puts it. I felt a light shove on my back, and with a stumbling step forward I was greeted with the lovely scent of vanilla and nectars I had no name for. "SURPRISE!" came their voices in unison, making my mind go blank. It took everything in my being to curtail the automatic need to defend and fight off danger. I hated surprises, but I found myself grinning again, unable to hold back my happiness at the gesture. I spared a glance at Yukari to find that she was grinning while absent-mindedly rubbing her nose. She winked, and then stuck her tongue out at me. She planned this! She meant for me to kick her in the face, because she knew that I'd be hard pressed to get her some ice! I glared, contemplating giving her the old one-two combination to the chin, considering she wanted to get hit.

"Happy Early Birthday, Satero-Kun!" Takami said easily. Minato echoed her without the honorific and I easily smiled back at them. I glanced down and saw what I had smelled. A fresh baked and frosted birthday cake with vanilla moose glazed on the inside, along with a tub of vanilla and orange-flavored ice-cream awaited me. They remembered my favorites! I was also aware of a row of presents lined across the back wall. They were small, in general, but there were some bigger boxes catching my attention.

"Thanks guys, I mean it!" I said happily, dropping my guard completely. I reveled in the moment, knowing I wouldn't have too many more with them.

* * *

The morning went quickly. The cake and ice-cream was eaten quickly, and I opened my gifts to receive a new pair of pants, some fingerless adventurist gloves, a new backpack that could be slung across my chest, a box full of study material, some boxes of furniture pieces they acquired for my new dwelling (the people were waiting for an address), a check for 480,000 yen, and an iPod, loaded with my favorite songs and other goodies. I had to fight away the urge to let tears come out at their love and kindness for me. After the mock "party", I raced upstairs to prepare. My room was already clean, so there went that. I was already packed up and my clothes for the day were already set out. I went to shower. A few minutes later, as the hot water cascaded over my body, I found myself drifting back to my dream. What the hell was an Ashikabi? And who was that girl? I sighed. I chocked it up to puberty and tried to push it from my mind. I needed to focus. I dressed quickly, brushed my teeth, combed out my usually unkempt black hair, and retrieved my iPod and earphones. That's when Minato decided to poke his head into my room. I paused for a moment to decide whether or not to address him before he spoke.

"Got a minute?" he asked.

"Sure. Pop a squat." I said nonchalantly, pointing to the chair by the bed. He closed the door, and moved to the chair, nervous energy pouring out from him. "So, what's up?" I asked, already on the move again.

"I failed," He murmured.

"Come again?" I asked, momentarily distracted.

"I failed it," He said more loudly.

"Mind not talking in riddles? That kinda pisses me off. What did you fail?" I say to him, my attention completely pulled to him. He dropped his head and mumbled something about ruining the day for everyone. Typical martyr.

"I failed the entrance exam, Satero. I'm a ronin again, for the second time."

I stared for a moment, measuring his expression and my own annoyance at him for failing something he could do easily. I decided I was feeling merciful. "I suppose we have a lot of studying to do then, huh?" I say, barely concealing the annoyance in my voice. He nodded then got up, bowing his head in thanks and retreating from my room. I swear sometimes, I should have been the oldest. Minato's 21, with me at 19, and Yukari 18. Considering he's the oldest, he should be more confident when he speaks to us. I sighed. Minato was such a wimp, but he was more of a brother to me than I could imagine. Actually, he was the only brother I can remember having.

* * *

The story is that my family died in a terrible plane accident when I was three. I can't remember much, but the crash was easy enough. I can't see my family's faces, but I'm wedged between the seats on the plane. My family was rich supposedly, so it was a private plane. There were only two survivors, a single flight attendant and myself. I wasn't allowed to see my family's bodies. It's still blurry, but I remember that the flight attendant was armed, and they were escorting me to safety. I remember crying a lot. I heard a loud pop that startled me, and looked up in time to witness the survivor count drop to one. An ashen-haired female had impaled my protector with a sword and killed him. She then turned on me and raised her sword, but was halted by another female, one I identified by her lavender, back-length hair, and a very frightening aura. She grabbed at the other female and pushed her away giving an order of sorts. Then she turned on me, a look in her eye that warned me against trying something stupid. Then she tentatively smiled and reached down to pick me up. I was still crying and numb from my experiences. She stroked my face in a very motherly way, and whispered into my ear. "Everything will be okay, little one. I will not let harm befall you." She soothed, and I fell into a sleep so deep, I don't think I ever woke up.

* * *

Standing at the doorway, I popped my ear buds into my ear and hit the play button on my music player. Letting the music relax my mind, I strolled over to the school, where Minato was. I didn't know what he had done in the school, but I was supposed to meet him today to stay at his house where my stuff was. I was going to spend a couple nights there and find my own place. As I was walking he called. "Hello?" I answered my ringing phone.

"Hey, Satero? Look, I took a different path than I thought I was taking so I won't see you in our original meeting spot. Can you find the place?" he asked tiredly.

"Yeah. Bye Minato." I say simply. I click the phone closed and maintain my pace. After a while I became aware of unknown energies. They weren't human. It scared me, and in my fear, I tensed myself for battle. I've always been a talented fighter, so talented that people fear my fighting skill. I'm stronger than most body-builders, and faster than the fastest runners on the planet. I've been triple tested for performance enhancing drugs at least 70 times, and every time, I came up negative. I've been called a freak and alienated, but I didn't mind. What hurt was that I used to get attacked when I was younger. Somehow, every time, the attack would end abruptly and the people that were attacking me would be gone. I learned to fight, impressing and even surpassing my teacher. Still this energy made me jumpy. I tried to pick up the pace, but my ears ranged out, picking up sounds of fighting and (I couldn't believe my ears) thunder. I looked up to confirm what I already knew. Not a cloud in the sky. I began to run, pushing myself to move away from the sounds, but as I ran, the sounds became more distinct and the energies were easier to distinguish. Three people were fighting, two of the three fighting as a unit. I slowed and began to pivot, until I heard a battle cry.

"EXTREME THUNDER!" two similar voices yelled and I could hear the deafening and earsplitting crack of thunder move across the air. I looked up to wish I hadn't. I saw lightning being shot from two twins in S&M costumes towards a very beautiful and well-endowed female that I felt I recognized. She was brown-haired, her hair cut short to her shoulders, a single strand of hair sticking out from the top of her head. She was wearing a black kimono that was cut in half to encompass her chest and arms, and a simple pair of black fitting short-shorts. She leapt agilely from her position on the bridge and landed on her feet some distance from me, her eyes not wavering from the twins. "THUNDER STRIKE!" they yelled again, not taking time to aim carefully. The lightning shot towards me, and I found myself paralyzed. What was I seeing? I barely raised my hand when the bolt struck me. I expected pain. What I got instead was confusion. Why didn't I feel pain? Was I dead? I looked down to see that I was still standing. I looked around to see I hadn't left the scene I was still at. The twins had long since jumped down and were looking at me with fear in their eyes. "I hope he doesn't drop like a rock…" one said. The other hushed her twin quickly. I felt the lightning, but not how I expected it. I looked down to see my left hand glowing and sparking with electricity. I raised it to my face and studied it, unable to comprehend what I was looking at. I was suddenly angry. I glared at the twins in front of me, and they clasped hands, and pointed their fingers at me as if to strike me again. I didn't give them that chance. Before I knew what was happening, I was charging them, my hand sparking constantly with electric power. They fired a few bolts, but they went wide, striking in areas they thought I'd step through. With a roar, I threw my left hand forward and connected with air. They had jumped away. I let the energy in my hand explode outward from me, and it fired out in a giant beam of electric power. They quickly disappeared, and I, suddenly spent, dropped like a rock on my butt.

"WHAT!?" I shouted to the retreating women. "DON'T LIKE YOUR OWN MEDICINE?"

"I guess not," the woman behind me said, her voice comforting and oddly familiar. It was also kind of husky, as if she was having a hard time breathing. I spun on my butt to face her, and struggled to breathe myself. _It's HER! The one from my dream!_ I thought in surprise, before my heart began hammering in my chest. She was breathing hard, looking at me with longing. "Your name…?" She breathed, her cheeks reddening and her eyes growing far away.

* * *

"Satero Notame. Why?" I asked cautiously.

"Satero-sama…My Ashikabi…I've found you!" She gushed and fell to her knees. Then she quickly crawled towards me, her legs slipping past each other in an enticing way. Her breathing was becoming more erratic by the moment, and my strength had left me. I tried to move away, but she was already right in front of me, her hands traveling up the length of my legs and sliding up my chest seductively. Her scent was intoxicating. It was sweet and warm, and my mind went all but blank. She straddled my hips and her weight made me lose my balance. She leaned into me, her expression, pure ecstasy.

"Hey, wait a minute," was all I could utter before her lips met mine. Instinctively, I locked down, closing my lips and tensing my muscles. But I couldn't hold it for long, because she touched me in all the right spots. Her hands explored my body, rubbing my ribs, my hands, my arms, chest, neck and face. I relaxed bit by bit, but I wouldn't unlock my mouth. I could feel her tongue prodding at my lips, and I wanted so badly to let her in, but I held fast. Then I received a nudge in my groin from her knee and my mouth opened in surprise. She took that opportunity to merge herself closer to me and she closed the gap between our mouths quickly, her tongue darting in and wrapping around mine. She squeezed closer to me, claiming my mouth, then pulled back moaning as wings of blinding light snapped into existence. She looked down at me with such joy in her eyes that I could hardly focus. Then I could feel the warmness travel through my body, and suddenly, her heart was beating in sync with mine.

"I'm yours, now and forever, Satero." She said happily. I nodded.

"That's all fine and dandy," I began. "But, do you mind telling me who you are?" I say, unable to be my usual snappy self. Normally, I would have commenced my yelling and screaming tirade, but all I felt was warm serenity.

"I am #8, Yume, The Sekirei of Fate." She said gently pulling herself off me and helping me to my feet.

I look towards Minato's house in the distance, and then nodded silently before I turn and ask, "A Seki-Say-What-Now?"

* * *

**_CHAPTER END, KUPO! PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS ALL ABOUT THIS PLEASE! NEW CHAPTER WILL BE OUT SOON!_**


	3. Feather 2

**Authors Notes: **_**So, I think my last chapter went well… But I haven't been getting reviews! Please tell me if I'm doing good or not! But I am pleased and thankful that people have reading my story! The story will only get better from here. I hope you liked the twist where Satero meets Yume! Cause, you know, she's supposed to be like dead. But there's going to be a plot twist that no one will see coming so be ready! Also, From this point on I'm going to let Satero do all the Author's notes, considering this is his story. I might say something at the end, but for now, Satero? Would you mind?**_

Not at all Jay! Hey guys! How you liking the story? Well, for those who needs a refresher, Read Feather 1. I get to meet Yume, the Seki-Blah-Something of Fate. She's something special I tell you. Well anyway onwards!

Feather 2: Izumo Inn

I was silently freaking out. Who the hell was this chick, and why was I her Ashy-kabob or something? And why did she kiss me? _That was my first kiss…_ I thought in panic. While I silently fell to pieces, Yume looked at me with a question in her expression. Then she suddenly tilted her head to the side and looked concerned for some reason I couldn't place. "What?" I asked her evenly, not letting my freak out session break rank from my mind.

"Why are you panicking? There's nothing wrong. Everything will be just fine. I promise Satero-sama." She said in a gushy, but resolute tone. I was brought up short. _How the hell…?_ I shook my surprise away, but not before she picked up on that too. "Surprised? Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Is it because of the winging? Or is it because I can feel what you're feeling?" she inquired, dead-on about my worries. I wasn't going to be able to hide very much from her, and that frustrated me. Then I was frustrated that I was frustrated. I _wanted_ her to know things. _What the hell is happening to me? _My entire life, I've kept everything hidden from the outside world, never letting anyone in. It was safe for me. I wasn't antisocial; I was far from that. I just had a hard time telling people my emotions and innermost thoughts. And all it took was this strange woman to come barreling into my life and she breaks down layer after layer of walls I've built over the years in the course of a few minutes. It was aggravating.

"How are you doing that?" I asked, gritting my teeth and furrowing my brow in deep thought. Could she read minds? She reached up to place a hand to her heart (I noticed how her hand went between her cleavage), and knowingly smiled at me.

"As your sekirei, I'm more interconnected to you than a cell-phone and its parts. I can't read your thoughts, but I can feel you. Your heart is my heart, your dreams are my dreams, and we share a connection that can't ever be undone. Even now, I can feel the growing love in your heart." She began to explain. I jumped a little bit at her dead-on remark at the love growing in my heart. She was right. As we stood apart from each other, staring into each other's faces, I felt that warm and very powerful feeling of contentment with her rising in my chest. _So that's what I felt earlier. During the "winging" as she calls it. _"Can you feel it? My feelings? My heart? Can you see why I am so happy?" she asked earnestly, giving me pause to think. I _could_ feel it. Her feelings were warm and cozy. I felt like I wanted to be with her forever, even though I'd just met her. Surely, this was how she felt about me. She began to close the gap between us, and I didn't have a hard time keeping still. The urge to distance myself from her had suddenly disappeared. I took a pleasure in that. I didn't have to think about it with her. As she came closer, her scent, warm, sweet, and intoxicatingly luscious, lapped at my nose. It wasn't strong. It was quite subtle, strong enough to register with me, but weak enough to not overpower me. Yet, it left me wanting more. I'd have to ask about that later. She placed a soft and warm hand on my chest, right where my heart would be and looked into my eyes with a passion I couldn't begin to comprehend. How much could one person love another? Nowhere near as much as I could feel she loved me. Our hearts were beating in sync at that moment, both hammering away at a rhythm that was so fast I should have been worried. But I felt fine. Ecstatic even. "Even now, looking at you, my desire, my _need_, is more than I have ever felt. I…" she trailed, her face suddenly in ecstasy again. I couldn't control my body anymore. I began leaning into her at the same moment she started leaning into me. Our lips were about to meet, when…

_**TURN IT UP! BAH BAH BAH BAH BADA BAH! DADADA DADABAH!**_

* * *

I jumped away from Yume so fast I almost fell over my own feet. I forgot I had that stupid ringtone. As it was playing the piano portion, I flipped it open and saw it was Minato's number. Figured. I looked at Yume and she was looking away from me, somehow abashed at our almost kiss. I was just thankful for the distraction. Not that I didn't want to kiss her… "Yello?" I answered.

"Satero? Is everthing okay? You still haven't shown up yet…" I heard Minato begin on the phone. I was about to answer him, when I heard a muffled female voice through the line. "…ato-sama…on…phone?" was all I could make out before the voice was shushed. Great, now the feeling of bliss and peace had given way to suspicion. _It could just be his television. I know there's this show called Delgato and Wife, but I don't know._ I thought to myself, forcing myself to relax. Then I began to panic as fast I had relaxed myself. How was I going to explain Yume? _Maybe a friend from school would work…_ I thought before Minato's voice ripped me from my thoughts, startling me. "SATERO!" he whined.

"What!? I wasn't doing anything, ya know!" I blurted then slapped my forehead. I did it again. I have a habit of blurting out weird phrases when I'm excited or distressed. Takami-san said my older brother and mother were just like that. Minato's stressed laughter came blaring into the phone and I felt my eyes ringing from the overly loud sound of it. I almost dropped the phone, but Yume was there to steady me, laughing silently at my apparently funny exchange with Minato. I glowered at her, my annoyance at her laughter taking to the air in the form of a scary looking flame spirit. It had no form yet, but it did its job because she stiffened up and her eyes went white in fear. I stopped glowering. Maybe that was a bit too much. I smiled an apology at her.

"Just hurry up if you are still coming. 'Kay?" Minato said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I said dismissively. I hung up the phone. Yume was silently watching my back, waiting for me to finish my call. "What's the plan, huh?" I asked, hoping she'd give me a clue about what to do. All she did was shake her head and reply with, "I follow you. Sekirei are born to serve Ashikabi."

"Ashi-who-now?" I ask, the term, like "seki-rah-rah something", flying over my head. She laughed, not even showing a ghost of impatience with me. She looked towards the direction I was headed, and said, "Maybe I should explain when we get to your friend's house. That's where we are going right?"

"Minato isn't my friend. He's my adoptive brother. I'm staying with him for a night until I find the place I want to live at. I've got a few places lined up, and a bank account full of rent money and savings." I explain.

"This Minato…is he an Ashikabi like you now?" she asked, seeming to be thinking about something far away.

"Not that I would know. He's a grown man. Legally at least. He doesn't tell me too much about his life, and I don't tell him much about mine. Just the essentials. Like when he failed the University Entrance Exam for the second time." I snickered.

"Third time's the charm right?" Yume joked easily, impressing me at how quickly she could see I was only making fun. She then nodded towards Minato's house again. "Let's not keep him waiting." She urged me.

As we walked, Yume wasted no time in asking me questions, which I found myself answering quickly and easily.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"19. I'll be turning 20 in one week." I answered, keeping my pace slow and steady.

"What's Minato like?" she pressed.

"He's a good guy. He has a real big heart, and I look at him like a brother. He can be a wimp sometimes. I see that he's maturing though, so I'm not too worried 'bout him." I replied. Then came the harder questions.

"You said Minato is your adoptive brother. Explain please?" she asked curiously.

"I was really young when Takami-san, Minato's mother, adopted me. She was good friends with my original family apparently and she vowed to raise me like her own if anything ever happened to my family," I answered, bracing myself for what was next.

"Who were your family?" she asked. A sting of phantom pain rang through me, and I clicked my tongue before answering.

"All I know about them is that the family name is Notame. They were supposedly some rich family, owning their own district in the city. They died when I was three." I said nonchalantly.

"How did they die? What happened?" Yume exploded, filled with concern. I let my head fall.

"I can't remember much, but I know it was a plane accident. We crashed on an island somewhere, or at least that's what I think. All I know is the land was barren, and it smelled like blood." I saw her cringe at my description, but I also saw the tiniest of nods, as if she were remembering something herself. I continued, "I was the only survivor. A flight attendant was alive…but…he…died quickly." I knew I had omitted information, but it felt like too much at one time.

"I'm so sorry…" Yume said quietly, sorrow washing over her like a tidal wave. She even began to cry. I don't know why I did what I did next, but next thing I know, I was wiping away her tears and stroking her face. It felt so natural. She grabbed my hand and smiled into it, her eyes looking up at me with love and appreciation.

* * *

When we reached Minato's house, my phone began to ring. I flipped it open to reveal a man in a white suit and dark spectacles beaming at me. I felt my face tune up in discomfort. _I think he's got his rape face on…_ I thought, before raising an eyebrow at him. "AH! SATERO-KUN! I'M SO GLAD YOU-"

_**Beep!**_

"Creepy old man…" I mumbled as hit the "end" button. Yume came up to my side and looked at my phone before asking, "Who was that?"

"That was some creepy old man who had a wrong number." I answered coolly. She giggled. I was about to call Minato when my phone's interface locked up and the creepy man's face was filling its screen once more.

"I do believe we were cut off! Please allow me to–HEY WAIT DON'T HANG UP!"

_**CLICK!**_

This time I shut the phone and removed the battery so the creepy hacker man wouldn't commandeer my phone. I slipped it into my pocket and knocked on Minato's door. "Just a minute!" Minato's voice rang out from behind the door. I closed my eyes and ranged out, trying to see if I could detect any presences besides Minato's. I was about to get a piece of something when the door swung open, Minato rubbing his head in embarrassment. "Hey, Satero." He turned slightly and caught a glimpse of Yume and his eyes went wide. I opened my mouth to give a crappy explanation before he blurted out, "Mu-Mu-MUSUBI-CHAN!?" His eyes had bugged out of his head and he was staring at Yume like he had seen a ghost. "W-What are you doing with Satero? You didn't _**tell**_ him you're a Sekirei did you?"

"Yume isn't a Sekirei! She's, uh, my friend, ya know!?" I said quickly, freaking out that Minato recognized Yume. _Wait why am I freaking out?_

"Did you call me Minato-sama?" a female said from the back. Things went to hell after that.

* * *

Yume knew who Musubi was and it was pretty obvious that Minato had become an Ashikabi the same moment I had. Bad news was that the commotion that Minato and Musubi caused drew Minato's jackass of a landlord out from his hole. I almost came to blows with him, as I often did, and Minato was informed that he was being kicked out for having company. I wanted to strangle the guy…

"Anyway, how did you two meet?" Minato asked Yume, trying to distract himself from feeling sorry for himself.

"We ran into each other when I was having a Sekirei battle with numbers 11 and 12." Yume answered.

"The lightning twins?" Musubi asked. "They attacked me too."

"Satero defended me…and I couldn't help myself. I kissed him." Yume said blushing deeply at the memory. Minato told a story about how Musubi came flying out of the sky and crashed into him. They were in a back alley when Musubi kissed him. I remained silent. I looked at Musubi and Yume, sitting next to each other and compared them. Yume had a womanly charm that was lacking in Musubi. Yume seemed older mentally and curvier than Musubi. Musubi had a very childish face, but her breasts were twice the size of Yume's. She was also a bit wider around the hips. Yume had a dark and warm chocolate brown eye color, while Musubi had an earthy light brown. Their hair wasn't too much different. I could tell them apart easily.

"Satero-san?" Musubi's voice called me from my thoughts. She was looking confused and Yume was shaking me, trying to get my attention.

"Yeah what?" I said.

"You completely zoned, man!" Minato said jokingly, even though I could see he was freaking out about having no place to go. I was about to say something when the creeper appeared on Minato's television. "OH HOHOHO! MINATO-KUN! SATERO-KUN! SUCH A PLEASURE! HEY WAIT!" was all he was able to say before I switched the T.V off. Before I'd even put the remote down, he was back again, laughing it up. "Ah Satero-kun. You and your comedic moments..."

"LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE YOU PEDO-BEAR!" I screamed at the screen before flipping the T.V off. Everyone was sweating bullets at my exchange with the electronics. I must have looked like a mad-man. The screen popped on and the remote locked up, leaving me without a tool.

"Do you know who I am?" the man asked with humor in his voice.

"Should I?" I say sarcastically.

"Ah, professor!" Musubi greeted the man. Yume just nodded her regards.

"Musubi-chan! Yume-chan! So good to see you've found your Ashikabi." He replied happily. He then turned back to me. "Satero-kun, I am Minaka Hiroto, the founder of the mega-conglomerate, MBI!"

"Never heard of ya," I said stoically and went to unplug the T.V. I was shocked on the spot when I touched the cord. I stumbled backwards and fell to my butt. Yume rushed to my side and rubbed my arm in comfort.

"Now that you two have met and become partners, I wish to tell you about the Sekirei plan." He paused while I readjusted to the table. I worked myself into a calm and listened begrudgingly. "The Sekirei Plan is a game where Ashikabi and Sekirei unite to face off in a series of matches to determine the winner! The strongest of them all will win a grand prize from MBI. That's all I will say for now! Don't think about leaving the city, or we will hunt you like dogs!" Minaka explained. "Minato-kun, Satero-kun. I wish you the best of luck!" I flung the remote at the screen, screaming creeper. and his laughter echoed before the T.V fizzled out.

* * *

The next day, I was out, alone, looking for a place to live, while Musubi, Minato and Yume stayed behind to help pack. I'd gone through my entire list. Place after place turned me down because I didn't have credit. That wasn't my fault. I couldn't let it discourage me though. I had one last place on the list: Izumo Inn. The name made me feel weird. I tried not to let it deter me. When I was in front of the door I knocked lightly, turning ever so slightly to catch sight of a sign saying, "Now Renting! Lease: 30,000 Yen. Dinner and Utilities Included." I was ecstatic. Minato could definitely afford this. I ran back to his house, forgetting that I had knocked on the door. I could feel eyes on me as I ran to report back.

"Ready?" I asked everyone. Yume was carrying my stuff (against my protests), and Musubi was carrying Minato's. They all nodded in excitement and I led them to the inn. About 30 minutes later, We were all standing outside Izumo Inn. I looked around to see beauty everywhere. The inn was older, but it looked clean. The garden was amazing, filled with flowers and shrubs of different colors and scents. What really called to me was the wide open expanse in a courtyard that I had an angled view on. _I could practice there… _I thought. I had to practice my forms so I could stay in shape. Minato had knocked on the door, and my eyes caught a glimpse of a glint of light in a window upstairs. "That's strange." I said too loudly.

There was that familiar shift in the air, and I felt like I was being watched. I looked to the east, and saw nothing but flower blossoms being tossed by the wind. The door opened and I turned my gaze to the door, seeing a beautiful middle-aged looking female with lavender hair standing in the doorway. She was wearing a hostess styled kimono, with a purple sash and a red ribbon in her hair. The sight of this woman startled me and froze me to my feet. She looked over all of us, her expression a perfect mask of concern. That was until she saw me. Her eyes and lips faltered ever so slightly, and I saw a piece of something that had me delving backwards into my dark memories. She reeled in her slip up as quickly as I reeled in mine. While Minato explained our situation, I studied her face. I couldn't see the woman that had carried me that day, but I felt her. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I knew her. "Oh that's so unfortunate. Well lucky for you that I never turn anyone away. Please come inside, Minato-san, Musubi-chan, Yume-san, Satero-chan." I paused at the honorific she used in conjunction with my name. I could understand Musubi, but me? I caught her troubled look, and she mastered it as quickly as I had noticed it. She was good.

We walked inside and we followed the Landlady to the dining room. We sat down to discuss details of our lease. Minato and Musubi were roomed in 202, with me and Yume next door in 203. She rolled up the floor plan and bowed, introducing herself. "My name is Miya Asuma. I will be your landlady for the duration of your stay here. I only have a few rules. Fighting is not permitted on my land. You will pay your rent and do chores around the inn in a timely manner, and my most absolute rule: No inappropriate and public displays of affection. If you must be affectionate, do so in private or at a love hotel. They are all sound-proofed. Failure to comply with these rules with result you in being without a home." She said briskly. Then, an evil smile that could freeze hell over broke out on her face, and a demonic mask wisped into existence. "Hai!" Minato, Yume and Musubi replied quickly, easily intimidated by Miya. I just nodded and allowed a shadow of my own demon flame to make itself known. I was testing her, to see how far she would take that mask. Miya seemed to aim the blunt of the stare at me then and I lost the stare down quickly. "Hai," I wailed, frightened by the full force of the Hannya mask. Scary...

* * *

Later that night, I was returning from a bath. It was time for bed, and I was bushed. I would meet the other tenants tomorrow. As I walked towards the stairs barefooted, I saw Miya making her way towards her room. "Satero-san, goodnight." She said. She was staring into my eyes, as if looking for something.

"Yeah. Goodnight Landlady-dono." I replied respectfully.

"You know…you have some of the clearest, prettiest eyes I've ever seen." Miya said, her voice far away.

"Um…Thanks nice of you to say! I mean they're just blue, ya know!" I said quickly then cursed myself for letting the surprise of her comment throw me.

"Ya know?" she asked, visibly surprised.

"It's something that pops out of my mouth when I'm caught off guard or surprised. I try to watch it." I said.

"Hmm…" she mumbled and walked away. Weird. I yawned and put it out of my mind.

The room I was in was occupied, like I thought. Yume was waiting for me, dressed in a simple button down white shirt that I had. She had no other clothes yet. _I have to go shopping soon, _I thought. I was already dressed in my pajamas so all I had to do was climb into the queen sized bed we now shared. As I made myself comfortable, Yume gently wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into her soft mounds. "Would you like to sleep like this for a while, Satero-sama?" she asked, and nestled me closer to her cleavage and warm scent. I nodded dumbly, and let the soothing beatings of her heart lull me into sleep.

_**CHAPTER END KUPO! STAY TUNED! NEXT TIME: THE BOTANICAL GARDEN! **_

Oh shut up will ya?

_**Sorry.**_


	4. Feather 3

_**AN/: So, last chapter went well I think. It was really late when I uploaded it, so I didn't have a chance to begin the next chapter. Oh and from this Chapter on, I will be switching POV's between Satero, Yume, and Minato. It's easier to tell a story from all sides that way. This chapter will feature each of the three I just mentioned. Anyway, here's Satero.**_

Geez…Long winded aren't you? I guess you can't help it.

_**What's that supposed to mean Satero? You want to take a spin in my car of death? Or maybe I could write "that"…**_

Whoa Now! Lets calm down there pachino! No need to get hasty, ya know!?

_**LOL**_

**Feather 3: The Botanical Garden**

_~Yume~_

My eyes fluttered open early in the morning. The sun was shining into the room Satero and I were sharing, and I marveled at how real this moment was. My ashikabi was lying on my chest, sleeping and cuddling with me. I never thought it'd be so easy to get him to become comfortable with me. _But then again, he did look pretty tired. Maybe he didn't realize what I offered._ I thought, thinking about that first day we met. Satero had been so locked up. He was closed, and I could see that it would be a steady project to get him to embrace the feelings in his heart. He had it in him; the love that was waiting to be offered to someone. He had never pulled it out of him before, so when I…kissed him, he didn't know what to do with himself. He was suppressing himself, keeping himself under tight control. I smiled though, because I know I broke down a lot of his barriers. He was open with me, more than he's been with anyone, and I could tell. He had a bout of confusion after each time he told me something about himself or his life. It saddened me that he had to suffer in silence. He led a difficult life. Aside from his family being killed in a plane accident, he grew up; called a freak for things he couldn't control or understand.

_In a way, he is much like us sekirei. The strength, the speed, the endurance, and the capacity to do supernatural things. I for one could mold light to my will, and my martial ability is great, but he…he is different. It's like his ability hasn't settled. And his eyes…they're captivating. They're so clear and strong. I see great power behind those eyes._ A movement in my breasts ripped me from my thoughts. He was stirring. He moaned a bit and turned his head over, the heat from my cleavage probably smothering him. I tried not to giggle. He nestled back into my pillows, and I took a breath to steady myself. I maintained a cool head. I watched his peacefully sleeping face. He usually had a very masculine and mature looking face, but in this moment, his face was carefree, and almost childish. The way he smiled in his sleep to me to a distant memory…

—Flashback—

"_Takehito-san, who's that?" I asked as #1 carried a young and injured looking child in her arms. He was sleeping, but his face was troubled and streaked with silent tears. Takehito replied, "A child Miya found while they were out on guard duty. Karasuba tried to kill him. She's being dealt with as we speak. Innocents are not to be harmed." I nodded, and commited the boy's face to memory. I couldn't have been much more physically developed than my teen years. My power was still unstable and as much as I wanted to carry and hold the boy, I knew I couldn't. Still, my heart was beating unbearably fast at the sight of him. I turned away. _

"_Takehito-kun…" Miya began. _

"_Don't worry love. Everything will be fine. Takami-san is coming to get him. When she heard the news, she got on the first jet MBI could secure her."Takehito interrupted._

"_I sense great power within him. I think there is sekirei DNA inside of him, because the child there was reacting a moment ago. I don't know what to make of this…" Miya said, obviously troubled and oddly protective, as if some motherly instinct she didn't know she had had been awakened. She and Takehito looked into each other's eyes a moment and then Miya left._

_I remember later, Takami-san showed up to take Satero away. I felt a sting of hurt for some unknown reason, but I knew deep in my heart I would see him again._

—Flashback End—

To think that Satero was the child that day made me giddy. I knew from the first moment I saw his face, he was that child I reacted to those years ago. The power of love could not be denied! I absent-mindedly stroked Satero's face and ruffled his hair lightly. I realized that wasn't the smartest move. Satero was waking up. I hadn't paid much attention to it before but earlier in the night, I had become hot, so I unbuttoned the shirt I was sleeping in, letting my breasts hang out a little bit. No way could I cover this up…

He lifted himself tiredly from my bosom, and blinked his eyes a couple times. I didn't think he was fully awake yet, but he just paused there, as if deliberating about what he could possibly be seeing. He tried to push himself to a base and his hand found my left breast as a hand hold. I couldn't contain the shocked and pleasure filled gasp that escaped my lips. _Oh god…He's touching me…_ He blinked a few times again, looked up at my face and back down to where his hand was. My nipple had responded quickly to his unintentional groping, and it reared its cute little head from between his spread fingers. I felt the tension as he connected the dots. That's when the blood works began. A tiny spurt of blood came from his nose, and he pulled away to cup at his face. No sooner than he had pulled his hand, the shirt fell from my chest and my breasts were fully exposed to him. Another, much more powerful spurt of blood came from his nose, and his face turned beet red. He was handling it better than I expected. I sat up and tried to speak but he seemed to be thinking about something… He fell over, blood gushing from his nose like a stopped up water hose. "SATERO-SAMA!"

* * *

_~Satero~_

What a way to wake up in the mornings; Waking up to a sekirei, _my_ sekirei, with her sleeping shirt unbuttoned and hanging off her body, not to mention I had woken up laying on her boobs! Oh yeah. This was going to be a great day! As I laid there, cringing at the mental pictures of Yume's nude body, posed in— _THINK UNSEXY THOUGHTS! HURRY! NOW!_ My rational mind screamed at me. I thought of kittens. Worked every time. I averted another round of comical nosebleeding and instead focused on the sounds I heard next door. Minato was yelling in surprise, "WHY AM I NAKED!?" I laughed.

"This oughta be good." I said easily, already burying the recent memory in a dark place where I could revisit it later. Not that I wanted to. Or maybe I did… I shook my head and got up, thankful that Yume had covered up with the blanket. I briefly searched for blood-stains but saw none. Strange how you can have a nosebleed and not get blood anywhere. I climbed out of bed, and checked myself to see if I was still clothed. Thankfully, I was. I heard Yume's feet touch down behind me, and I looked up to see her with the shirt closed. _Whew_. She seemed to be waiting on me. I was not going to like this almost worshiping behavior she exhibited. I began making my way from my room to see the commotion. I didn't make it but two steps out the door when,

_**WHACK, BONK!**_

The sounds coming from being smacked in the forehead by a metal ladle were the least of my worries. I was so shocked and annoyed; I didn't even feel the pain. I turned to see Miya, fully dressed, briskly walking towards Minato's room. She opened the door and went in. Sounds of repeated whacking and smacking echoed from the room, as well as the pained cries from Musubi and Minato. "Inappropriate shows of affection between unmarried couples are FORBIDDEN!" I heard Miya's voice waft from the room, carrying with it the hannya mask. I stiffened in fear, and blurted out, "I wasn't doing anything, I swear, ya know!" Damn it! I smacked my head as Miya stepped past me, laughing. Yume was absently rubbing a spot on her head.

"Breakfast will be ready soon. Please prepare, and do be on time." She giggled. All she left behind was a fading glimpse of the hannya mask. Minato poked his head out and nodded, tears of fear in his eyes. Musubi had on a blank stare, looking confused as to why she was hit. I answered her unspoken question, "Modesty is something you might want to take stock in." I turned to go to the baths and waved a hand behind me to excuse myself from the rather weird situation. "Grumpy…" I heard Yume playfully pout and I smiled.

* * *

As I made my way to the bathroom, I ran into a silver haired male. He was slightly taller than me, but then again, the floor was uneven where he stood. "Oh, hey." He greeted coolly. His voice was rather feminine. That brought me up short. I pushed the thought from my head and responded, "Hey. You must be another tenant here." I thought about it then introduced myself, "Satero Notame. Nice to meet you." I offered a hand.

"Kagari. Nice to meet you too Notame-san." he grabbed my hand as shook it.

"Trying to take a bath?" I asked.

"Yeah. I see you are too. Sahashi-san is on his way. Might as well take one together. Time constraints, you know?" Kagari said, not quite comfortable with the idea.

"Yeah sure…sounds like an awesome idea." I say sarcastically. _It's just like the hot-springs, only the pool is smaller._ I thought.

The bath was quick and painless. The steam was so thick, you couldn't see much more than the face of someone else. We stayed a good distance from each other anyway, so things went well. We all walked back into the dining room after our bath to see Musubi and Yume dressed and sitting next to Miya and another brown haired female I didn't recognize. Her breasts were as big as Yume's but her hair was longer and tied into a single ponytail on the side of her head. She was grinning like a mischievous teenager, and although her body said woman, her face said teenager. It made her cute in her own way. "Hiya guys! Enjoy your bath together?" the unknown female asked, implications heavy in her speech.

"You wanna die a quick death?" Kagari asked darkly, and I swear the room got hotter.

"Chill out, Kagari-kun! Just a joke! I'm Uzume! I'm up in room 204." She said, pointedly looking at me and Minato. I noticed her gaze kept flickering to me for some reason. I decided to be funny.

"What?" I asked. "See something you like?" I struck a couple poses to emphasize my remark, and I could tell it stung. She seethed for a moment, and then turned away. Yume just laughed with me at my witty comeback to Uzume. I was going to like her. We all sat down to a table set with grilled fish, steamed rice, and some fried egg. There were rolls placed in the middle of the table. Suddenly, my hunger was unbearable, and I picked up my chopsticks. "Thank you very much! ITADAKUMASU!" I said and dug in. Everyone else followed suit.

Breakfast was generally silent, except for the occasional grunt, small talk, and a request for salt. I was finished before anyone else. I rocked back on heels, and sighed contentedly. Miya had some of the best home-cooking around. I decided to press Minato about this morning. "So, Minato…why were you naked this morning?" Minato froze and almost choked on his rice. Kagari seemed not to care, while Uzume was laughing. Yume looked as curious as I was. Musubi just kept eating, as if she hadn't heard a word.

"Well, you see… I was having a bad dream. And Musubi said I was mumbling something about, 'No! Don't go!' and 'It's so hot…' She just figured she'd take my clothes off to help cool me down. Little did I know, she'd taken hers off too." He explained sheepishly, his gaze flickering between my face and Miya's, who had remained silent.

"What was the dream about?" Kagari asked.

"There was this little girl. Kusano. She said she was trapped in the trees, and she needed to get out. But I couldn't reach her to help her down…then she started floating away. I did notice I was in a deep forest, one that wasn't in any place I've been…" Minato said.

"Deep forest? Sounds like that Botanical garden in the news if you ask me." Uzume piped up.

"No one asked you." I said to Uzume, lacing my words with a stinging sarcastic tone. She seethed at me.

"You can come to my room later if you are having second thoughts about your sexuality. I can help you correct yourself." She giggled at me. It was my turn to seethe.

"It sounds like you _really_ wanted to be in that bathroom with us guys! Are you sure you aren't just lonely at night?" I asked her cuttingly. She got real silent. _Uh oh, I went too far…_ She shook for a moment, the air in the room gaining a very tight and heavy feeling. I braced myself. Her reaction surprised me. She jumped across the table to hug me and laugh hysterically.

"OH MY GOD! I'VE NEVER LAUGHED SO HARD BEFORE! I LOVE YOU, SATERO!" She screamed in hysterics. I cringed at her sudden closeness, and I caught a glimpse of Yume's laughing form from across the table. even Miya was laughing, obviously enjoying the situation.

"I didn't realize I was being funny, ya know!" I said quickly, then mentally kicking myself for saying the taboo words again. Everyone burst into laughter at my apparent discomfort and I scowled. I was the comedian today.

"Bada-bing!" I said weakly, letting everyone know that I got the point. The laughter died and breakfast ended after that.

* * *

~Minato~

A few hours after our eventful breakfast, Satero, Yume, Musubi and I were making our way towards the closed down construction site where the Botanical Garden was. It was Satero's idea to explore, saying that it'd be a good idea to get a feel for the place. He was walking with his arms behind his head, utterly carefree and confident. Yume was walking behind him, her own assuredness visible. They didn't think anything could go wrong. Great…that was just what I needed. My own nervousness was making up for their lack thereof. It wasn't long when we stopped in front of the entrance. We all gazed up at the tall trees, and I gulped. This didn't look too fun. I looked back. Everyone seemed to be waiting on me to make the first move. I turned and put my foot forward to begin my trek into the wilderness. That's when Satero yelped in pain.

I turned back to him as faster as I could twist my body to see him clutching his head and bending over. He was shaking and his knees looked like they would break from underneath him at any second. Yume rushed over to him to place her hands along his back and chest, supporting and soothing him. "Are you okay? What happened? What hurts?" She questioned, a hint of panic rising in her voice. Satero tried to shake his head, but only dropped to his knees, clutching his head, or more accurately, his eyes even harder. "Satero-sama!?" Yume gasped. Musubi voiced her own surprise. I stayed frozen. Satero looked up and stared past me, past the forest, seeing nothing. Satero's eyes had lost their light.

"I'm blind?" Satero asked, unable to comprehend what happened, his voice laced with pain. He looked around wildly, not focusing on anyone, but seeming to be trying to find something. His hands flew out hesitantly, searching, and Yume grasped it quickly. Satero's body relaxed some. Then he doubled over again, his yell of pain twice as gut-wrenching as before. "MY EYES! UGH! ARGH! THEY HURT!" came his pained gasps. I swear when he looked up again, I saw tears and a dot of blood forming under his eyes. His eyes regained their light, but when they returned, they weren't their regular clear-sea-blue; they were deep amber, borderline crimson. I could even make out a second pupil swirling into existence around his central pupil. It was the most unnatural thing I'd seen in my life. Then as quickly as it came, it faded, leaving behind his regular color.

"I can see again? What the hell was that?" Satero asked no one. Yume lifted his eyes to her and looked into to them, using her thumbs to wipe away the tears and blood that were collected in his eyes.

"Maybe we should go home." Musubi offered. I vehemently nodded my head, agreeing with that idea.

"Satero-sama, let's go home." Yume said worriedly. Satero just waved her off, obviously bothered by the sudden onset of pain.

"Nah…I'm fine now…you guys go on ahead. I'll catch up later. I need to think…" He said and began walking off in another direction. Yume began to follow but I stopped her.

"He has his cell phone, I'm sure. We can call him later. When he gets like that, it's best to just leave him be." I said. "Musubi-chan? Yume-san?" I prompted them, and then began walking. They followed after me, Musubi behind me, and Yume to my side. _Makes sense the Yume would stand close to me. Even though we are friends, this is a sekirei game. She doesn't want to endanger her crest._ We made it home in record time.

"Ah, Minato-san! I take it your excursion was success…ful?" Miya trailed, looking among our group to see we were one down. "Where's Satero-san?" she asked. I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't have a clue.

"Minato-sama says Satero-san will call when he's ready." Musubi said cheerfully from my side. Yume just excused herself to sit by the phone and wait. Miya waved us inside and we went to our room to watch TV and wait.

* * *

~Satero~

**Feather 3-2: The wind flower and my dance with death**

I was walking aimlessly. I really didn't have a clue where I was going. So when I ended up at a clock tower, watching the sun-set, I wasn't too confused as to how I got there. I'd have to remember this spot. The view was beautiful. The sun threw gold light on everything, changing the way the city looked. I couldn't help but smile contentedly. I'd always wanted to find a place like this. My bout of pain in my eyes was a fading memory now. Instead, now my eyes felt stronger, different even. I could feel another side to my eyes. It felt incomplete, but if I focused my energy to my eyes, I saw a shift in the environment. Things looked clearer and I felt like I could pin-point things with slightly better accuracy. It was hard to describe. I let the eye issue go. I could think about it later. Something more pressing had caught my attention.

There was a woman standing across the way at a skyscraper that was only metal struts right now. She was staring at me. Her eyes were covered by something black, but I could tell from even this distance that she was a very mature woman. Her body was absolutely amazing. I couldn't tell specifics. She was wearing what looked like a purple Chinese short dress and some heels. She waved at me, and I not wanting to be antisocial, waved back. I turned away from the woman. She wasn't bothering me. After a moment, I felt a strange gust of wind and flower petals dropped into my lap. _Cherry blossoms?_ I thought. I looked up to almost fall off the ledge I was sitting on. She was standing right next to me. "How the hell?" I voiced, and she just smiled, amused with my reaction.

"It really is a beautiful view. And the wind is strong and warm. If only I had some sake right now…" she mused. I could now see her dark hair was tied up in buns at the top of her head, with more hair falling behind her. Her incredibly large breasts were bouncing lightly, and her legs were shining with moisture. She took really good care of her body. She was reeking with sensuality. It made me nervous for some reason I couldn't place. "Who are you anyway?" I asked, already guessing she was a sekirei. My only problem was that I didn't know if she had another ashikabi. I tensed.

"I'll give you a hint. I am a simple flower the floats in the wind." She said, leaning close to me and showing me her massive cleavage. I found it was easy to be distracted by her and her…assets. _Flower…wind…_ I toyed with the words that stood out in my head. Wind was also known as kaze and flower was hana. I took a wild guess.

"Kaze-hana?" I asked, unsure.

"Wow. You are as smart as you look." She smiled at me, and then jumped from the ledge. I didn't have time to think about her words. I was more focused on how she was _flying_ around in the air. She flitted away, waving at me.

"GET BACK HERE! I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A CHANCE TO RESPOND, YA KNOW!?" I yelled at her quickly retreating form. Her laughter reached my ear.

"Work on that!" she yelled back before she disappeared over the horizon. Great. I jumped back inside the clock, and began making my way down the tower.

A few minutes later, I was standing on an adjacent rooftop, stretching my limbs out and preparing to leave. I took one step, when a girl barreled into my back. I whirled to see who it was but she was already moving again, jumping from the rooftop, and landing on another one. I didn't get a good look at her face, but I would remember that hair. It was deep red, and longer than I thought possible. It reached all the way to her butt. I blinked after her for a moment. I turned to leave, but my instincts told me to dodge something I couldn't even see yet. I didn't question them. I leapt from my spot and saw a blade stab through the spot I was just standing in. My eyes bugged in surprise, and I turned to see an ashen haired female holding a sword away from her body in a stabbing pose. She'd almost killed me. Hey face turned to me, and plastered on it, was a smile that told me instantly she wasn't my friend. I braced myself, and slipped into a battle stance. "Oh? Who do we have here? I was hunting #24 but instead I get an ashikabi who's lost his way." She said in a singsong voice that just pissed me off. I remained silent. Her eyes opened to reveal pale green eyes and a cruelty that I couldn't even begin to wrap my mind around. She studied me for an instant, and then grinned wickedly. "Oh…It seems fate has brought me a target that escaped me years ago. You look strong. Care to entertain me for a while?" She asked her voice growing gruff and excited with bloodlust. That's when the attack began.

Her strikes were fast, but I was faster. I dodged incoming swipes and hacks easily, seeing what direction the blade would go by watching her hands. She was laughing manically, clearly enjoying the dance. I could have struck back, but something told me it was better to run. She stopped suddenly, her laughter ceasing. "To think a mere human can dodge attacks at only 25 percent of my power like child's play is unreal! Let's see how you handle this!" She yelled, her voice taking on an edge I identified as murderous. She meant to kill today. Time to fight back. She rushed me again, her swings faster and more dangerous. I dodged as best I could, but I couldn't often see the blade coming, and took shallow cuts. I needed to see!

My desperation to see was growing with each swing's increasing speed, and I kept chanting to myself to see. _See…See…See…I need to SEE!_ I mentally screamed. A stabbing motion she made with her sword was aimed at my heart. In that moment, two things happened. I felt the shift of my eyes, and the blade became clearer in its blinding speed. I could see the blade now. But what's more, I could see the path of the blade, and vaguely guess the direction it would take. I dodged the blade by a fraction of a centimeter, and the sword ripped through my shirt. I stumbled away, and squared up, breathing hard. She lowered her blade and smiled at me. "I see you are really strong. I can't wait to see how much you grow over time. I've had my fun. My name is Karasuba by the way. I'm leaving now, but…not before I give you a parting gift." She said hazily. She blurred from my sight for an instant… and that was all I could register before my chest burst open, spilling my blood on the roof of the building I was on. The world went black after that, her laughter the last thing my conscious mind registered before I hit the ground.

_**So there you go! I had to add in a small sub chapter to explain Satero's little journey. It wasn't long enough to be it's own chapter but big enough that I had to do a change in scene and focus. Anyway, i've decided to Give Satero a little perk called tengan. Its weak though. Tengan means heaven's eye btw. More delevopments later!**_


	5. Feather 4

_**AN: Okay, so that last chapter went quite well! Four chapters in one week. I have to say, that's pretty good! It's Sunday that I'm beginning this chapter, but I feel like I won't be done till Monday. Poor Satero can't join us right now, because he's injured.**_

I may be injured, but that won't stop me from kicking your ass to kingdom come and back, ya know!

_**You said it again.**_

DAMN YOU!

**Feather 4: The gears begin to turn**

~Satero~

I hope this isn't what death feels like, because death hurts. Death shouldn't feel like being whipped around and dropped on something hard. Death shouldn't feel like fire running the length of my chest. Death shouldn't feel like something wet and warm dripping down my sides. Death shouldn't sound like tears. I couldn't find my eyes, but I could hear. I couldn't command my muscles to move, but I could feel. That's why when I heard Yume's tears of stress and her warm hand snake its way into mine, I knew I wasn't dead. I felt the burning again and fought against the weight holding me down to try and escape the pain. I instinctively thrashed and kicked, trying to free myself from the bindings. "Knock him out! He's going to open the wound more!" I heard a male voice yell. I wanted to scream in rage at this man. Knock me out!? Was he insane? A small part of my mind noted that I was in shock. I couldn't really comprehend Yume's soothing words. "Satero-sama, it's okay…I'm here. Don't worry. I am here. I won't let you be hurt again." She vowed, but I couldn't bring myself to understand her. I was more focused on the pain. Then I found my eyes and voice to wish I hadn't. I'm not going to tell you what I was screaming at the men and women in blue, or what they possibly saw in my eyes as I thrashed on the operating table. I will tell you, that a split-second after my tirade, something cold entered my bloodstream, and I was handed over to darkness once again.

* * *

~Yume~

"I shouldn't have trusted Minato's judgment. I should have followed Satero!" I cried to Miya over the phone, too stressed to use an honorific.

"Calm down Yume-san. Satero will pull through. The hospital you took him too is the best in all of Japan." She tried to assure me. I wouldn't have it.

"I know he will be fine! I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE! I COULD HAVE PROTECTED HIM!" I screamed in a panic.

"Yume," Miya's voice suddenly taking an edge I'd never heard before. "Panicking will do Satero-chan no good. You need to be strong for him. Calm down. Breathe. Think really hard about what you are doing. If you lose your composure, everything will fall apart."

I considered that briefly, and then decided she was right. I had to be calm for him. I had to be his beam of support, His beacon of light. Then a thought occurred to me. "Satero-chan?" I questioned, not understanding her use of the "chan". "Something I should know?" I asked. She grew silent, debating whether to tell me.

"Do you know who I am?" She asked quietly, obviously still deciding.

"I am 99 percent sure you are number one, Miya-san. Don't worry, I won't divulge your information. Just as long as you don't tell Satero—"

"I won't, but he's going to have to know eventually." She interrupted. Satero had yelled something about Karasuba, my former comrade, and opposite. I stood in the light. She embraced darkness. She was the 3rd Generation Discipline Squad's leader now. I was the leader of the 2nd, and Miya was the leader of the 1st. Karasuba was a part of all three. I shouldn't have been too surprised. She was a killer, and the Discipline Squad was the perfect excuse for her. She was the reason I left. After her murder rampage during our mission to rescue a certain sekirei, I couldn't bear to be near her anymore. All those innocents…

"Back to what I was asking," I reminded.

"You know Satero was the child on that plane all those years ago?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think. At least I believe he is." I answered.

"Well he was. I almost didn't recognize him. But I could just tell; I felt that same feeling from all those years ago." She explained. Did Miya react to Satero?

"Did you…react?" I asked scandalously. The line went silent for several minutes. I almost thought she hung up.

"Tell no one. Anyway, make sure you tell him the truth. He needs to be prepared." She effectively ended things.

"I will tell him." I said to Miya.

"Make it soon. I fear things have taken a turn for the worst." Miya said, then, without a goodbye, she hung up the phone.

The hours went by quickly for me because I was content to simply watch Satero's sleeping face. He always seemed so young and innocent while he slept. When he slept, he couldn't put on the mask he always had on. I knew I could stare at this face for eternity and never grow bored. A doctor came in and stopped his I.V drip then retreated quickly from my stare. Minato called once, asking about his condition, and I told him he was stable. I didn't want to speak to Minato. I liked him; don't get me wrong; it's just that I couldn't stop myself from blaming him even though I knew he wasn't to blame. Karasuba was the one at fault. I made myself remember this and laid my head down on Satero's chest to sleep and mull over the information I had recently acquired.

* * *

~Minato~

The night went quickly. Satero was still recovering and Yume refused to leave his side. I could understand that much; Musubi said she wouldn't leave me either. The morning was quiet; partly because of Satero's absence and partly because of our guest. "Kazehana-san, it's still early in the morning! Why are you drinking?" I asked the unfamiliar female in front of me. She was dressed, oddly in Satero's clothes, and drinking a bottle of wine. She just smiled at me and hiccupped.

"Ah, Minato-kun, you can't begin to understand how good wine tastes in the morning!" She said and then got up. She stretched, gave me a small wave and left out through the side door. I couldn't understand her if I wanted to. She just shows up, with a bloody and barely breathing Satero in tow, and then doesn't bother to leave. Miya seemed to know her. She called her "Public Indecency" or something like that.

-Flashback-

"_He should have been back by now…" Yume said, beginning to fret. It was getting dark. _

"_I'm sure he will be back. Probably just fell asleep somewhere." I said while going to the phone to page his phone. _

"_I'm going to go look for him." Yume said, pulling on some fighting gloves._

_I was just picking up the phone when I heard the door blow open from around the corner. I slammed the phone down and whirled around the corner to identify the intruder. _

"_Sa…" I began. A woman in a purple Chinese styled dress was carrying Satero's limp and bloody body bridal style. His head was nestled between her bountiful mounds. I found it easy to ignore that._

"_Yume-san! Don't bother looking for Satero! He's right here…" I trailed, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. Yume turned the corner and almost fell to her knees. _

"_SATERO-SAMA!" She screamed. She rushed to Satero and began cradling his head between her breasts. _

"_He isn't…is he?" I tried to ask. I couldn't form a full sentence. Miya made her entrance at that moment._

"_If Satero was dead, Yume would cease functioning." Miya said simply and picked up the phone to call the hospital. I decided I would ask how she would know information like this later; Yume was already rushing Satero out of the door, past the newcomer, not caring about our conversation. _

_When Miya got off the phone, she turned to the new woman. "Ah, Kazehana-san. How long has it been?"_

"_I would think years. Funny how that child would reunite us." Kazehana replied._

"_Hmm. You never cease to live up to the nickname I gave you, eh Public Obscenity?" Miya asked jokingly._

"_Aw…I like this one." Kazehana said, pulling at the tight clothing around her breasts. I looked away. _

-Flashback End-

I tried to remember that I had to go to the garden today, to distract myself. Musubi knew it too and her excitement was hard to miss. I received a message on my phone saying that Number 108, Kusano, was the prize to whoever ventured into the forest and found her first. "Finders keepers…" I mumbled half-heartedly, and set out with Musubi following behind me.

* * *

"Musubi-chan, could you stop bouncing around like that? You might attract some unwanted attention." I asked her, trying to calm her. She was beyond excited. Musubi was a fighter type, and she took a thrill in the prospect of fighting. I couldn't understand her excitement about the idea of fighting other sekirei. She acted as if she hadn't even heard me. Ten minutes later, we were standing in the mouth of the botanical garden, staring up at the imposing trees. I felt that similar feeling of dread, and found myself speared to the ground my feet were resting on. I was scared. Musubi seemed to notice this, and although she had that same blank smile on, her agitation was readable through the excited shove she gave me. Great. I kept moving, looking for the girl from my dreams, calling out softly, "Ku-chan?" I swear I heard a faint whimper of a reply some distance deeper in the forest.

I pushed forward. My fear was slowly becoming determination. I had to find little Kusano before anyone else. My steps edged towards running, and I called out again only to be knocked aside by something hard. "Minato-sama!" Musubi's surprised and shocked voice broke through the ringing of my ears. I had knocked my head against a tree trunk.

"Bwah ha ha ha ha ha! Such a puny little ashikabi. You are so worthless! You couldn't even withstand a light kick to the shoulder! Mikogami-sama was right! No contest!" a shrill and cruel sounding voice echoed through the trees. I looked up in time to see yet another unearthly beautiful female laughing and twirling a very deadly looking scythe around. "I am number 43, Yomi: The Grim Reaper! Now die!" She squealed in delight and swung the scythe towards me. Musubi leapt into action then, grabbing me and dodging out of the way. Of course, Yomi's aim was pretty dead-on, because Musubi's sleeve was sliced.

"I am number 88, Musubi! I would be honored to accept your challenge! Please refrain from attacking the ashikabi! It has been strictly forbidden by the director!" Musubi said seriously. She set me down on my feet and pointed to a tree out of the way, never taking her eyes off of Yomi. I wasn't going to complain. I was behind the tree in seconds. The two stared at each other for a moment, before Yomi sneered and leapt at Musubi.

"Musubi-chan!" I yelled out involuntarily. I was going to be a distraction so I tried to bite down on the urge to call out her name every time she was attacked. Musubi fought better than I could have imagined. She was going toe-to-toe with a scythe wielding psychopath and holding out nicely. Every time Yomi swung, Musubi was already moving to avoid it, and lashing out with a foot or fist. Musubi was able to even land a few hits. Yomi brought her scythe down in a cleaving motion, to slice Musubi into two, but Musubi deftly hopped from the path of the blade. The blade hit the ground and Yomi seemed to struggle to release it. Musubi leapt at Yomi and using the pole of the scythe as support, planted her feet into Yomi's chest and kicked, sending Yomi flying into a tree. I almost started celebrating. "You bitch!" Yomi screamed at Musubi and charged again. Her scythe flew downwards, meaning to split Musubi down the middle, and Musubi didn't move. She just put her hands up. "MUSUBI-CHAN!" I screamed, hoping she would dodge. Instead she caught the blade by the flats and held it there with little to no effort. Her face was a concerned pout.

"Let go of my scythe, damn you!" Yomi screamed, struggling to get her weapon free.

"Sharp weapons like this are dangerous, and can poke someone's eye out. Let's fix that! Neeup!" She said childishly and twisted her hands, breaking the blade between her hands. Yomi's face was shocked. I couldn't help but laugh. Yomi turned her furious glare on me, and forgetting Musubi charged my direction. Musubi simply grabbed Yomi's shirt, ripped it and placed a finger to Yomi's crest. Yomi froze, seeming unable to move. "Fists of my contract, shatter the perils surrounding my ashikabi!" She recited. What was that all about? Sudden Yomi's body went stiff and she fell, her eyes turning blank and lifeless. I then noticed the crest fading away. Musubi did a small celebratory dance and turned to me, smiling widely. "I did it, Minato-sama!" She cheered. I nodded and tried to smile, but I was just plain confused. "That was my norito!" she said, seeming to answer my unspoken question. I nodded and turned to continue looking for Kusano. I didn't have to.

"Onii-chan?" her soft voice reached me. I already recognized the voice from my dreams.

"Kuu-chan?" I asked gently. I looked up towards the sound of the voice and saw the small blonde haired child staring at me from her impossibly high tree branch. I opened my arms for her. "I'll catch you. You can trust me." I said. She seemed to understand and gave me a look that reminded me of Yukari when she was much younger and very cautious of things. Kusano bent her knees, leaned forward and fell out of the tree into my waiting arms, with a silent "oof". She was much lighter than I thought she was. She peered at me through innocent green eyes, then suddenly, reached up and kissed me flat on the lips. _Great, now I'm a pedophile! _I thought uneasily as her small wings of light flashed from her new crest. "Forever…" she whispered before falling asleep in my arms.

* * *

~Satero~

I never realized how good it felt to be back at the inn. I just had this strange giddiness about it. As Yume walked me up to the door where Miya, Uzume, and Kagari were waiting, I couldn't wipe off a small smile on my face. After a lot of pleading on Yume's part, and a few hardly concealed threats from Miya's hannya mask (I didn't know it come through the phone!), I was released under medical trial, whatever that meant. I was supposed to take it easy. Although the cut was shallow, the slice made it through one of my rib bones and sliced a few arteries. The doctors were worried about my recovery, though they mentioned something about me healing at a much faster rate than normal people. I was supposed to be in I.C.U. "Yume-san?" I asked, being careful of the honorific.

"Hmm?" she asked, obviously smiling fakely. I furrowed my brow.

"How old are you anyway?" I asked randomly, simply because I knew next to nothing about her. She sighed and smiled.

"You aren't supposed to ask a woman that kind of question, Satero-sama. I'm 26." She answered me with a real giggle. Her being so close, her scent wafting into my nose reminded me of another question I wanted to ask. I didn't get the chance.

"Satero-kun!" Uzume cried.

"Notame-san!" Kagari exhaled in relief.

"Satero-_chan_" Miya said. The honorific was out of place, and emphasized, as if she were hinting at something I needed to grasp at. I would ask her later.

"I'm fine everyone. Just a mammoth sized gash along my chest. No biggie." I said nonchalantly. "The morphine they gave me before we left deadened the pain. I won't feel it for at least the next three hours." I assured them. They stepped aside to let Yume walk me into the inn. She guided me to the T.V room and sat me down on the couch.

"I'm so sorry about your mugging, Satero-kun! I wish there was some way I could have helped." Uzume said, drawing a confused glance from me.

"Mugging? I wasn—HUP!" I stopped short and tried to retain the pain from the wicked pinch Yume gave me. Right, I forgot. Outsiders to the sekirei plan were not allowed to know. I averted my gaze and caught Yume and Miya sharing a meaningful glance. I looked away before I could give myself away. Kagari excused himself for work, and Uzume went to the dining room. It was close to dinner time anyway. Yume flipped on the T.V, then excused herself to help Uzume with the table. I almost reached for her, but Miya sat down next to me, hushing my thoughts. She leaned in very close to me and whispered, "And so you survive again." That sent a jolt through my system, and pictures began flashing in my head, one in particular of a lavender haired beauty that resembled Miya. I began leaning away, to call for Yume, when her slender, soft fingertip met my lips. "Shhhh…Don't say anything. Yume knows. I know about the plan, so you don't need to hide anything from me." Her words came in a familiar soothing rhythm I instantly recognized. "Miya-san?" I asked incredulously. I couldn't believe it. I shook my head.

"Satero-chan, who attacked you? You must tell me, or I can't protect you." She whispered.

"Karasuba was her name. Miya-san, who are you really?" I asked lowly, feeling left out of some secret.

"I am number one, Miya Asuma. I was the one who found and protected you that day 16 years ago."

"I was able to put that one together. Is Karasuba…?" I trail, unable to finish the thought.

"Yes. She was the one who tried to kill you. I'm amazed you remembered so easily." Miya said, leaning away from me, and leaving her lavender scented smell in my nose. I was utterly intoxicating, like Yume's. I had to shake my head to clear it. She hugged my shoulders and got up. Then like flipping a switch, her usual attitude was present and she was smiling at me like the landlady, rather than a sekirei that saved my life 16 years ago. "Well Satero-chan, dinner will be served soon. I hope you are hungry. And do take it easy." She said and walked away, a very small flush appearing on her cheeks.

* * *

Sometime later, as I rested with Yume's warm arms cradling me, Minato walked in, with Musubi in tatters and covering her breast with her arm and a small blonde child clinging to his back. She was staring at all of us with fear in her eyes. Miya reacted in a way that made me laugh so hard, Yume began worrying about my wounds. Miya whirled away, picked up a wooden looking practice sword and pulled a real blade from the wooden end. She then pointed it straight at Minato with murder in her eyes.

"She's my cousin! I've been entrusted with her care for a while, landlady-dono!" Minato explained quickly, his voice breaking with exhaustion. Hours later after a quiet dinner, I was in my room, lying on my back as Miya and Yume worked me over, changing my bandages, applying ointment and wrapping me up nice and tight. I would have asked Kagari to do it, but he was at work, so I let the women take care of me, blushing wildly the whole time. _Think about kittens…Don't think about what's going on…_ I thought. They finished quickly, and Miya departed, giving Yume a look. I didn't try to read into it. "Anything you want to talk about?" Yume asked me. I let the questions flow.

"Did you know Miya was a sekirei?"

"Yes. Or at least I had my suspicions."

"Do you know a 'Karasuba'?" Her face went white.

"Yes. She was a former comrade of mine. I abandoned her and the group I lead after an incident involving the death of hundreds of human beings." I didn't press. "You really should sleep now." She urged me. She leaned into me to give me a light peck on the lips. Her scent lingered with me, and I was instantly hooked again. I wanted more.

"How do you do that!?" I asked, trying to shake the tantalizing scent from my head.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Your scent, the way you look at me, the way you touch me. It's unnerving!" I say in a huff.

"We're designed that way. We are already naturally beautiful, but when we find our destined one, our ashikabi, our bodies become attuned to theirs. My eyes hypnotize you, because they are a deep chocolate brown, just how you like. My scent unnerves you because it was meant to attract you. It does its job. I just seem to know where to touch you, because I know your body on a level no one else could. I was designed for you in every way. But, I wish you knew the affect you had on _me._" She said, leaning over me and placing a hand where my heart was thudding rapidly. I nodded.

"Makes sense." I say slowly. She smiles and then turns to leave. "Where are you going?" I ask, a strange feeling of unease rising in my gut.

"I need some air. You go to sleep. I will be back shortly." She answered me, her voiced strained.

"Don't go looking for her, Yume." I said, dropping the honorific without meaning to. She caught that.

"Satero-sama?" She asked, detected the growing edge in my voice. I didn't want her to leave me. I could tell by the way she reacted to her name earlier; she wanted to get even. She was going to go looking for Karasuba. I couldn't bear the thought of Yume fighting that psycho. I wanted— no needed her here. I opened my mouth to try and force the words I knew she needed to hear out.

~Yume~

"Don't go. Please. Stay." He said trying to give life for the budding feelings he had in his chest. I felt my own swirl of longing and need, but I ignored it. I wanted him to say it first. It was either he says the three words I so desperately wanted to hear, or I was going to find Karasuba and wring her neck for harming him. "Yume…I…I…I don't…" he struggled, wrestling with his instinct to protect himself and his emotions. My heart gave a little flutter at him using just my name.

"Satero…It's okay. Just say how you feel," I allowed, hoping it would give him the strength he needed. I looked at him with hope in my heart.

"I…Yume…I need you. Here. With me." He finally said. It wasn't quite the "I love you" I was hoping for, but I made a breakthrough with him. He was finally accepting his feelings. I crossed the room in two strides and dropped over him, laying him on his back. I straddled his hips without thinking, a hot pulse radiating from my loins. I tried to smother it. Now wasn't the time. I leaned into him, letting my breath wash over his face, and I saw his eyelids flutter a bit as he inhaled my scent.

"Alright Satero. I will stay." Was all I said before I leaned down and kissed him.

His reaction was just like the first time. His muscles tensed, and his jaw locked, surprised at my fervor. It didn't last because I felt his desire for this in his heart. His body relaxed almost instantly, and I slowly worked his mouth open, trying to understand his hesitation. He'd open his mouth some, and then close it again. It dawned on me that he had no clue what he was doing. I didn't get any of his saliva yet, so I leaned back and peered down at him.

~Satero~

"Let me lead," was all she said, before her lips softly met mine. A warning touch. I gauged my reaction and exhaled, ready for the next step. She turned her head ever so slightly and her hands slid up my chest to caress my face and turn it slightly the other way. Then her lips moved against mine, and she pushed my mouth open, allowing her hot breath to enter my mouth. I took a deep breath to steady myself, and was assaulted with her scent again. She melded herself closer to me, and closed the small gap between our mouths. Her hands cupped my face, and kept it still. Her tongue slowly and sensually licked the top part of my lip, a slight tease, and a moan escaped her. I could feel warmness spread through me. Her wings had appeared. She stopped holding back after that, and pressed herself into me, caressing my tongue with her tongue, rocking against me in a way that told me she was enjoying this way more than I thought she was. Our tongues danced, and then it was over. She pulled away from me, a line of saliva connecting our lips, before my eyes drifted closed in bliss.

_**AN: So how was the hot makeout scene at the end huh? Sorry it took so long to get this chapter finished. **_


	6. Feather 5

_**AN: **_**I decided this chapter would be written chiefly from Satero's point of view with some of Yume's perspective.**

**Feather 5: Downtime**

~Satero~

"Argh! DAMN IT!" I yelled in the morning when I awoke to a metal ladle smacking into my forehead. I had to fight _not_ to kick Miya. The fight wasn't too difficult because a slight ache in my chest reminded me of my injury. "What the hell are you hitting me for?" I complained to Miya, forgetting all ideas of respect. I hated being forcefully woken up in the mornings.

"Take a good look at how you are sleeping, _Satero-chaaann._" She alluded. I looked to my right, and almost jumped. Yume was sleeping next to me, her face slightly flushed and her night-shirt slightly open. I looked away before I could begin bleeding from the nose. I looked up at Miya who seemed to be waiting for something.

"She's sleeping next to me with her shirt slightly open. And?" I said sarcastically, still ticked about her methods of waking me up.

"What's so inappropriate about this? I'm like, I don't know, two feet away from her." I said, looking pointedly at the distance between Yume and me.

"Well, even if it was a misunderstanding," Miya began, clearly bothered that she unjustly doled out punishment, "you know the rules." Her hannya mask ghosted into my view. My anger still wasn't completely gone.

"SCREW YOUR HANNYA MASK!" I screamed, comically letting my eyes go white in annoyance and punching the hannya mask in the face. Miya pretended that it hurt her too.

"Owwie." She whined before leaving, giggling slightly. She acted so weird around me. I didn't get it. Yume began to stir next to me, and I moved over to let her stretch out. When her arms stretched out, they seemed to be reaching for something. I let myself reach out, and she unerringly found my hand and grasped it. She was smiling before she opened her eyes.

"Mmmmm…Satero…" She mumbled, and then opened her eyes halfway at me. She pulled on my hand and brought me closer to her body and cuddled up to me, sticking her head in the crook of my neck. I couldn't help but blush and shiver at the electric tingle I was getting from her warm breath tickling my neck. I considered my action for a moment, then tentatively leaned my head down and kissed the top of her head. She really enjoyed that. She pulled away from me and placed a soft hand on my cheek and stroked. She looked like she was about to kiss me, but she instead stuck her tongue out at me and winked. She got up from her spot, pulling me up as well. "Bath time. I'll be in to wash your back." She said to me, winking, and then turned to gather her toiletries. I did the same and we went to our baths.

When I got there, Kagari and Minato were already leaving the changing room. "Kagari-san? Minato? You two took a bath together?" I asked incredulously. Kagari didn't seem bothered. Minato was blushing.

"My idea." Minato admitted. "I like the social interaction. Plus, it makes it so that Musubi-chan can't come into the bathroom without exposing herself to another man."

"A solid idea." Kagari agreed. He seemed less bothered than last time, in fact he seemed to be blushing slightly. I wrote it off as heat. "Steam really helps out too. Be careful not to trip while you are in there. Not all the steam has left." He said before he left. Minato slapped my shoulder lightly and moved past me to the kitchen. I sighed. No escape from the impending nose bleed that was coming. I undressed and let myself into the fogged up bathroom. The tub had fresh water in the tub.

"How nice of them." I said absently. I let myself slip into the very warm water and relaxed. "This feels great…" I mumbled. My chest was almost completely healed; the only evidence of the injury was a light red scar along my chest. It didn't even bother me anymore. "That healing of my chest is something to worry about." I thought out loud. I began washing.

* * *

At some point, I heard the door open, but I didn't dare say anything. I hoped the fog blocked the intruder's view. _Yume. She is just coming to wash my back._ I thought. I let my senses range out behind me, and the energy that entered was familiar, but still foreign to me. I didn't think to look behind me. Two very soft and womanly hands found my back, and began rubbing up and down. It shouldn't have felt so…sensual. I began connecting dots. The hands finished washing my back, and then moved past my shoulders to my chest. I could see the arms, I knew it wasn't Yume. I turned ever so slightly, and saw Kazehana, the woman I met before my attack, leaning over me, looking at me with a look that any guy who wasn't as clueless as me would be able to decipher as sexuality. At that moment, all I could comprehend was shock. I jumped out of the water comically, the fog blocking the view of my privates (whew). I landed on my feet, whipped a towel around my legs, and hurled a wash basin at Kazehana's forehead. It hit her square in the face and she stumbled backwards towards the door with a silly comical grin despite the situation. My eyes had turned white in anger. "GET THE HELL OUT YOU PERVERTED PEDO BEAR!" I screamed before I went and drop-kicked her through the door. I knew I shouldn't hit girls like that, but I couldn't help myself in that moment. She was whining outside the door.

"Awwwwww, I thought you liked it!" She whined sexily.

"LIKE HELL I DID!" I screamed. Miya turned the corner, her hannya mask in full effect, this time aimed at Kazahana.

"Ka-ze-ha-na-san…Do you remember the rules?" She said demonically before a frying pan found the same spot I had chucked a washing basin at. Kazehana simply whimpered and cowered.

* * *

At breakfast, Kazehana was eating with us, along with Kusano and the rest of the gang. Kazehana was seated next to Minato, who couldn't help staring at Kazehana's breasts. I couldn't blame him. They were huge! Yume sat to my left and Uzume to my right. Miya was at the head of the table like always with Kagari and Kusano towards the other end. Musubi was seated next to Minato. "Mind telling us how you know Kazehana?" Miya asked me. I began to sweat and I felt anxiety and stress build up.

"I met her before I was attacked. At the old abandoned clock tower near MBI tower. I was watching the sunset." I explained, trying to keep the less pleasant part out of my head. I failed. I saw Karasuba's face in my thoughts and I was overcome with stress. Energy instantly flowed through my body and to my eyes, resulting in a sharp pain. I leaned down and clutched my head in pain. "Just...like…last time." I panted through the throbbing pains. Then, suddenly, it was like the pain intensified. I couldn't help the pained yelp. The stabbing in my eyes wouldn't stop. I felt something warm and oddly thick begin to form under my eyes, and leak over, streaking my face.

"Blood!?" Uzume cried out, and I felt Yume's soft hands wiping away at the tears of blood streaking my face. I tried to open my eyes, and succeded. Everyone gasped.

"The eye of heaven's warriors. The Tengan! That's supposed to be just a myth!" Minato cried. I couldn't respond for another pain spasm rocketed through my head. Yume kissed my eyes, careful of the flowing blood.

"Kagari—towels. Uzume—get some painkillers. Minato, get Kusano and Musubi out of here. She is obviously frightened. Kazehana, come over here to me." Miya began, barking orders to everyone. Minato, Kusano and Musubi left, leaving Miya, Yume, Kagari, Uzume, Kazehana and me sitting around the table, cleaning up my mess and trying to ease the pain.

"It looks like it's progressing to a level two." Miya said knowingly. She patted my hand comfortingly, and began to speak. "Satero-chan, the pain will pass. A power has awakened within you, a power I always knew was there. The pain will be great for a time, but it will pass quickly, and your eyes will be better for it."

"How?" I asked simply, already beginning to feel the pain subside. I didn't think to ask her what she knew.

"As your eyes adapt to the surges of energy and power, they will progress in level. Kazehana spoke of you having one focus point, aside from your pupil when she found you. That was called the Tengan: Itchi(one). It appears your eye is fast approaching Tengan: Ni(two)." Miya explained.

"How do you know about all of this?" Yume asked suspiciously. The others looked at Miya for an answer.

"When the time comes for you to know, I will tell you." She said guardedly. I noticed the pain slowly disappear from my eyes, and suddenly the world was so much clearer. The clarity took my breath away. I could see clearly almost every detail on each person's body. I could tell Kagari was nervous, and hiding a secret. His muscles were contracting and releasing spastically, his tell. He was on edge. Uzume's body seemed at ease, though I could pick up on the small labored heaving of her chest. I could also vaguely see heat rushing to her cheeks. I turned away. I didn't want to know. Yume was concerned, but at total ease. Kazehana was looking at me with a look that I couldn't quite put my finger on, and I could see her shift her legs past one another excitedly as I eyed her. I turned back to Miya's wise looking face.

"Can I control it?" I asked wondrously.

"Yes. I will teach you." Miya said and motioned for me to head to the small clearing at the side of the house.

I made my way to the courtyard, but the clarity suddenly vanished. I realized whatever had happened to my eyes, the Tengan was no longer in play. I frowned, and Yume squeezed my hand in support. I gave a tentative squeeze back. I still wasn't used to interaction like this. We came to a stop in the grassy clearing, and Miya instructed me to sit. I sat, and crossed my legs. She looked at me with a glint of something that read amusement, and then instructed me to begin meditating. "Focus your energy. Shift your energy to pupils of your eyes, and hold it there." She said. I closed my eyes.

* * *

It was much harder than I imagined. I didn't have anything concrete to work with, just the desire to control this phenomenon. I struggled with my eyes and strained and focused with all my might. I couldn't feel a shift, much less any surge of energy. It seemed these things only came to me when under duress. _Like that time with the lightning twins…I was able to control the lightning and I could feel the energy flowing that time. This time, there's nothing. I can feel everyone else's energies, but not my own._ I thought while trying to pull the energy to my eyes. I must have been sitting there for an eternity, because I could hear the chatter of Kazehana and Yume.

"He's been sitting there for at least 15 hours. I didn't know people could meditate like that." Kazehana's voice commented.

"He doesn't even react to outside stimuli anymore. He's been sitting there like a rock. Even the birds came and perched on his shoulder." Yume said. I was losing focus. I whipped myself back into shape and began pushing again. _Why?_ My thoughts began to intrude. _Why are you doing this? Do you even care about this Tenagn?_ I stiffened. Why was I doing it? I couldn't formulate a decent answer. I thought and thought and thought, and struggled with my eyes and energy for what seemed like hours. I didn't yield results. I thought of the twins again. I remembered the lightning coming for my face, and the urge to put my hand up. I remember faintly, the energy rushing from the depths of my being and absorbing this lightning. I remember being able to control it. I called on that memory of the feeling of the energy. Suddenly, I could feel a phantom presence in my gut. It was electric, and shifty. I clutched at it, and tried to pull, but it was like trying to pull on air; there was nothing to grasp at. I had to make it solidify. I thought about the feeling when my eyes changed the first time in front of the botanical garden. I remember straining to see a figure far away, and feeling a rush of something to my eyes, and the subsequent pain afterwards. In this darkness underneath my eyelids, there was nothing to focus on. I stared anyway, willing myself to pull the energy from my depths, give it form and transfer it to my eyes.

Finally, after what seemed like more hours after my struggles, I had a small breakthrough. I was more aware of myself. I could feel that I wasn't able to grasp the energy, not because it wasn't there or didn't have form; I couldn't grasp it because I was barricading myself against it. I realized I was fighting a wall I was, ironically, fighting to keep in place. I felt it; my instinct to protect myself pushing at me, holding me in the unclear, barring me from clarity. I felt it and hated it. I was so good at protecting myself, I kept myself out. The pain began to come again, and I felt a small rush of energy. I held it in place, trying to understand the sudden rush. I was beginning to stress out. Just like I began to stress out about the story of how I met Kazehana and the event afterwards. I stressed myself out, just like the battle with Karasuba stressed me out. I realized that my emotions and the stress of certain events caused these phenomena. And then I felt what I had been struggling to feel. I could almost touch the clarity, and the energy that I was still locked from was clear to me. All that was left was to remove my barricade. I began snipping, snipping away all my protective layers. Yume then came to the front of my mind. I didn't know why, but she gave me the motivation to keep snipping. That's when I met the wall. I could feel it clearly. The power behind it was great, but there was a door in front of it, locking me out. I just had to open the door that was keeping me locked out. Yume appeared to me again. I reached for the memory of a warm and accepting feeling I got from her. I felt safe in her, and I forgot all about protecting myself. She was my key, I realized, and clutched onto her tightly as I braced myself for what was next. I knocked the door down and broke through the wall. The power then rushed me, overtaking me, and I felt a piece of myself reappear that I had forgotten all about. Sorrow, pain, fear, grief. These feeling over took me, and I immediately knew why. I had been suppressing the true me, the me that wasn't afraid of letting emotions express themselves. The me that kept all my pain and suffering bottled up and trapped in a dark place, festering and waiting to overtake me and corrupt me. I at first shoved at this realization, instinctively trying to force it back behind a wall that no longer existed. As I did this though, the power began fading. I realized that in order for me to wield this strength, I'd have to accept myself, pain and suffering included. I slowly and hesitantly embraced this part of me, and then the energy condensed and became tangible. I felt the change, but I couldn't focus. The pain I had been suppressing all my life was lapping at me like waves. I struggled to master it, and I forced it into a small part of my mind that I would revisit later. It was not easy. I then easily pulled the energy from my being and layered it into my eyes, silently hoping for the best.

The shift was absolutely stupefying. I can't describe how the darkness suddenly became so much clearer, like a foggy veil was lifted. I opened my eyes, and was greeted with purple light. It was nighttime. I could see. I tested my legs to find they were stiff. I looked at my watch to see that it was late at night. I also felt tired and hungry, and oddly, very dirty. With grim determination, I forced my legs to work, and I shakily made my way to my feet. I took a look around and everything was so much clearer. I could see the leaves from the trees falling and could actually guess which way the leaf would drift. I could see the moon and the almost white glow around it. I could see! The excitement at the success of my venture made me giddy, and I walked into the inn to the nearest mirror, moving quietly. I saw the light was on in the kitchen. I heard the voices of Yume, Miya, Uzume, Kazehana, Musubi, Minato, Kusano and another voice I didn't recognize. They seemed to be talking about something I didn't care to find out about. I turned my gaze into the mirror and stifled the shocked gasp at what I saw. I saw two, amber-colored, glowing eyes with two small flame decorum swirls to the sides of my pupil staring at me, seeming to pierce my soul. I reached my hand up and touch my left eye. The person in the mirror did the same. _ That's you alright._ I thought. I turned to the kitchen and prepared to present myself to everyone.

* * *

~Yume~

I sat with Minato, talking and learning about him and Satero. "Satero is in college now? He seems so much younger…" I trailed.

"Yeah. Satero just graduated, and he took the entrance exam. He passed with a 97.4! First try, I might add." Mianto said, bragging about his adopted brother.

"Yep. I knew that kid was smart. I can't wait to collect on my bet!" Kazehana swooned. She was clutching a bottle of wine. Miya looked at Kazehana with a look that said volumes about their history. I snickered.

"Are you in college, onii-chan?" Kusano asked cutely. Everyone turned their gaze to the blonde haired child, unable to resist her charms.

"No, Kuu-chan. I failed the exam twice." Minato said sheepishly, but honestly, mussing Kuu's hair.

"Twice? That's just sad!" Uzume said, barely containing her laughter. Minato let his head drop.

"Looks like you will be studying again this year, Mina-tan! Don't worry, I will help you _study_," our newest friend, Matsu said. She introduced herself as number two, the sekirei of wisdom. Miya said something like, "More like the perverted sekirei. _Number two, Matsu, The Hentai Glasses._" Everyone cracked up at that. As I snickered at Matsu, she gave me an oddly creepy look. "I can't wait till everyone goes to sleep at night so I can _experiment_ on Satero-tan." Matsu said taunting. Miya's trademark ladle found her head.

"I'm sure things will be fine, Minato-san." I said supportively, changing the subject back to Minato.

"I still have to study. Plus, school starts in a couple of days." Minato said. "I'm past all hopes of doing a last minute retake."

"That soon? I hope Satero finishes up with his meditation soon, then. I wouldn't want him to miss school." Kazehana said strangely, in an almost over concerned way. She caught it her tone and quickly slapped on a quick, "The younger generation these days are getting dumber by the minute."

"And you don't count yourself as a part of that generation, bimbo-brains?" Matsu teased, only to be greeted by a quick puff of air up her face. Miya began laughing.

"Yu-chan! There's Sa-chan! Sa-chan!" Kusano cheered, calling everyones attention to where she pointed. I and everyone else at the table turned and looked at Satero. He looked utterly disheveled; His hair was messy and he looked exhausted. I began to get up to help him, excited and relieved he was moving around again, but stopped dead and gasped.

"You did it Satero-chan." Miya said approvingly. Matsu slipped away while Kazehana nodded her approval. Something in her eyes changed when she looked at Satero, though. It bothered me. It was like she was eyeing her next conquest. I'd have to watch her. I took a good look into Satero's eyes and saw the Tengan: Ni, a step up of the eye I faintly saw in the hospital. This time the eye looked different. It was more solid, resolute, and piercing. I felt speared to the ground.

"You just going to stand there and stare?" Satero said joking, and the eyes disappeared. He looked slightly thoughtful, and the Tengan reappeared easily. He let it go again and smiled. He began to walk towards me, lifting a hand, before he wobbled and dropped. My body was rushing and catching him before I could even register what had happened. Uzume began to say something, but stopped suddenly when Satero's stomach roared.

"Figures. Satero, if you were hungry, you could have said something," Minato said and raced to the kitchen to get the bento Miya packed away for him.

As Satero tore into the food, I watched him, content once more to be sitting here with him. He did faintly smell like dirt and grass, but I didn't mind. I let him eat. After he was finished I cleaned his place at the table despite his protests and went to take a bath. I wanted to be…presentable for Satero. There was something about him that I was able to pick up on. He had changed over the course of the last two days. _Yes, Yume. It's been two days. Two days without your ashikabi in your arms, holding you._ I had to force myself to focus. I felt the rush of heat rush throughout my body as I thought about bed.

* * *

~Satero~

"Wow. I can't believe that was what you went through." Kagari said as I washed myself. We were sharing the bath again, and it was becoming a rather comfortable thing.

"Yep. All that happened while I was meditating. The funny thing is, I've never meditated so long. _Two whole days. __**Two!**_ That has _got_ to be a record, ya know?" I said easily, somehow no longer bothered by the weird phrase that came out of my mouth. Sure, it was unorthodox, but who cares? I sure didn't. At least, I didn't anymore. We got out, toweled down and dressed before we walked to the sinks. I began brushing my teeth, happy to do so, figuring I hadn't done it in about two days. After my face was washed and my teeth were brushed, I let myself out of the bathroom, waving amicably to Kagari. We were becoming fast friends. One thing did bother me though and I turned back to him. "I won't tell anyone, but you are a sekirei, aren't you?" I could see it in him. A strange energy that Uzume, Yume, Kusano, Miya, Kazehana, Musubi and the creepy new girl all had. He paused for a second and glared at me, and then his gaze softened in relief.

"I guess I couldn't hide it forever. Yes. I am a sekirei, but that is all you get to know, m'kay? I'd rather not have to kill you. You happen to be one of the few people I enjoy calling 'friend'." Kagari said with a smile. He then slipped past me, punching me in the chest and leaving. I nodded in acceptance.

"Everyone has their secrets." I said to myself, then made my way tiredly to bed.

As I laid myself down to sleep, Yume came into our shared room in a get-up that made me turn away from her very quickly, clutching my nose. I could handle the button down shirt and short shorts she often wore when we first met. I couldn't handle a deep V-neck t-shirt, no bra, and just panties. I couldn't handle the glint in her eye that said things I should have been able to understand but couldn't. I felt rather then saw her approach and her tantalizingly slow decent into our futon. Her hand roved up the small of my back and I felt the warmness of her chest pushing against my arm. I risked a glance. _I shouldn't have looked._ I thought before I was fighting urges to either turn away or stem a nosebleed or something else my body was aching for. I could see cleanly into her cleavage, and how creamy and smooth they looked. She let her eyes half close at me, making her deep-chocolate eyes that much more enticing. Her scent and her warm, sweet breath washed over me as she began to lean closer. Strangely, a memory from a few years back came barreling into my mind.

-Flashback-

"_Satero, It's time I taught you about the birds and the bees." He said, flushing a great deal. _

"_The Birds and the Bees? What the hell is that? Some sort of innuendo?" I said sarcastically._

"_Yeah. You know the life cycle, right? Birth, life, death, and all that jazz?" Minato said, stealing one of my lines. I glared before I answered._

"_Yeah. What of it?" I said._

"_There is also reproduction. We humans are animals too, and we also need to…um…reproduce. To do this, men and women engage in something called, 'Intercourse'."_

"_Intercourse?" I said, suddenly really interested and disgusted at the same time._

"_It's when a man, like you or me, puts his…um…uh…" Minato trailed, losing confidence quickly._

"_It's when a man sticks his penis into a woman's vagina. That's called sex. It happens to most of us, and is the single most pleasurable thing to a human being." Takami said simply and quickly. I blushed extremely hard and turned away from the two to go to my room and find some way to block out the unwanted information._

-Flashback End-

* * *

"Satero-sama…" Yume trailed, her eyes holding a passion and need I couldn't begin to understand. I tried to speak, but her finger found my lips. "No words, Satero-sama. I've missed you. I've missed your warmth. Please. Just…hold me." She said, editing at the end. From the blush that stained her cheek, I could tell something she was about to ask me got halted. I obliged to embrace her easily enough, but she rolled me over onto my back with a strength that startled me. Before I could protest, she was straddling me and French kissing me. Her wings shined into the room while she grinded against me, and I found it hard to tame my reaction. A very distinct bulge began to rise in my pants, and I froze when it found a soft wall above it. Yume's breath caught and she looked down to see my erection poking into a spot in her panties. Her eyes looked to me with something that looked like hesitation and desperation before she pushed into my bulge. The pressure was intense and oddly pleasurable. My gasp of shock was quickly shushed by another steaming kiss from Yume. Was she raping me? I began to try and buck my hips to the side, to remove the stimuli, even though I really didn't want to. Yume seemed to understand the minute I began to struggle and backed away very quickly, her demeanor totally shifted.

"I'm so sorry. I lost control…" She said, her breath coming in short ragged pants.

"It's fine…" I said slowly and opened my arms to her carefully. She smiled at me with tears in her eyes. I didn't realize when she was back in my arms, but she was on top of me, kissing me again and dripping tears onto my face. She pulled away without any prompting from me, and smiled again at me before lying to my side and drifting off to sleep. I let myself go as well, but was very careful to turn away from her and put a little distance between us. I wasn't going to get hit in the morning.

* * *

The next morning was different than usual. I took my bath with Minato, and went to the dining room, like normal. I sat down at my place like normal. What wasn't normal was that an orange haired female in a white dress-like piece was seated there with us. I thought back to the night before and I did see a flash of orange creeping off before I fully turned the corner, but I didn't think to go looking. I just didn't care. Now here she was, with her two braids and her oddly creepy spectacles. She gave me a cursory look up and down and a pervert smile overtook her face. I automatically leaned away.

"Satero Notame. Age: 19. Birthday is in three days. Recent High school graduate and University student. Parents: Deceased," she paused and frowned, "siblings: deceased, adopted by the Sahashi family at the age of three. Graduated in the top 10 of the district, and made a 97.4 on the entrance exam. Not much physical data is present. Status: Ashikabi of number eight, Yume." She intoned, saying my information out loud as if she was reading it from a book. "I am Matsu, number two, the sekirei of wisdom. Pleased to meet you Satero-tan." She nodded her head at me, and then gave me a strange look that made me want to throw something at her.

"Likewise. Mind telling me when you showed up here and how you know all my information?" I asked.

"I was here before you were. I recently decided to start coming out because I was reacting to Mina-tan. He's my ashikabi now. And I memorized your information from the MBI database." She said matter of factly.

"There goes number three." I said in a fake announcer's voice. I tried to hide my annoyance at her knowledge of me.

"How did you know I was coming?" Kazehana's voice came from behind me as she settled into a hug from behind me. I could feel her deliberately pushing her breasts into my back. I nearly jumped from my skin.

"WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?" I asked, startled.

"The door." She said jokingly and removed herself from me.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say Minato's your ashikabi too." I said boredly.

"Nope. My interest lies elsewhere." She said, eyeing me with appraisal in her eyes. I turned as Yume and Uzume came around the corner. Uzume was dressed as if she were about to go to the park, and Yume was looking at me with a strange apology plastered on her face, as if she knew something she couldn't tell me.

"Satero-kun? Will you come with me for a picnic at the park? I feel like we haven't gotten to know each other at all." Uzume asked me, a hint of shakiness in her voice.

"Sure." I agreed, trying to be nice, but bewildered. Uzume's face lit up and she grasped my hand like a vice and pulled me out the door.

"Bye everyone!" I tried to yell as I was hauled double time from the inn.

* * *

The park was beautiful this time of the year. It was late spring, and the trees and flowers were in bloom. I couldn't help but look at the scenery and smile. A few kids rushed past me, yelling a quick apology before resuming their play. I saw several families and couples sitting around in the open grass, eating from baskets of food. A thought occurred to me.

"Uzume-san?" I asked, trying to catch her attention. She was grimly determinate, and she was still yanking me towards a patch of grass and heavily clustered trees. I realized the botanical garden was nearby, because those trees were higher and thicker than the ones we passed.

"Be quiet a moment okay? I need to focus." She shushed me, her breathing and voice getting rougher by the second. I creeping sense of doom overtook me. I couldn't understand why. When she pulled me into the trees, she whipped around and slammed my body into a tree so quickly and with so much force it knocked the breath from me.

"Gah!?" I exclaimed with shock. She pushed her body against me very quickly, trapping me in place.

"You know I'm a sekirei, right?" Uzume said huskily. I nodded, somehow beginning to understand where this was going.

"You…are you reacting? To me?" I ask hesitantly, unsure of how I'd handle the news.

"Yeah…I…just can't hold back anymore!" She rushed before she slapped her hands to my face rather roughly and brought herself to my lips. This kiss was far different than Yume's. It was teasing and much quicker. She didn't bother with pretenses. She just went right in for the kill. By the time I'd registered Uzume's kiss, warmth flooded through me and she was whispering, "Stay with me forever and ever, 'kay?", while her wings faded from behind her.

"O…kaaaayyyy?" I said slowly, still stunned at the fact I had just gained another sekirei. Awesome. Just Awesome.

_**CHAPITRE END! **_

_Oh shut up with the french nonsense will ya?_

**_Remember that thing from three years back?_**

_I will friggin kill you if you say that._

**_LOL._**


	7. Feather 6

_**AN: Sooo. It has been awhile since I've been able to sit down and begin writing! Anyway, Onwards to the next chapter! Just some recap—**_

_I'd rather tell it, thank you._

_**Hey, more power to you. Go right ahead.**_

_*AHEM* First off, I was born—_

_**Recap of the story so far, Satero.**_

_Ah. Well, Uzume is now my sekirei, I have the Tengan, some mystical eye that does freaky things to my vision, Minato now has Kusano and Matsu in tandem with Musubi, Kazehana is being creepy, Miya is hiding a secret from everyone, My birthday is in four days, and My first day of University is tomorrow._

_**Uh-huh. This oughta be good.**_

_HEY THAT'S MY LINE!_

**Feather 6: Before the storm**

~Minato~

"Wakey, Wakey, Minato-sama!" Musubi's voice found my ears.

"Yeah! WAKEY, WAKEY, ONI-CHAN!" Kuu's voice sounded off right after. I groaned. I did _not_ want to get up. I waved my hand for them to go away, and Musubi's body, more specifically, her boobs, ended up right against my arm.

"WAKE UP!" Musubi whined directly into my ear, sending me jerking from my sleep. What was so important today that I had to wake up?

"Oni-chan, Sa-chan is about to go to school, and he wants you to go with him!" Kuu said cutely. I groaned. I completely forget, considering I wasn't a student. Musubi tried to yank me from my spot on the futon, and I marveled at just how strong sekirei could be. Musubi was being careful, but I still got jerked around. She dragged me from bed, pulled me to the bathroom, and ordered me to undress. That made me blush, and I scolded her for saying things that came off in a sexual manner. She gasped and started mumbling something about forgetting her modesty. I shook my head and walked into the bathroom to bathe.

* * *

I made my exit and dressed in peace only to find Satero sitting some distance around the corner with a backpack slung around his shoulder. He looked oddly troubled. "Minato." He greeted me stiffly.

"Satero." I said.

"It starts in an hour." He mumbled with an edge of nervousness.

"I'll walk with you there." I said, rubbing the back of my head. I could understand it was new for him. He got up very silently and walked to the kitchen to grab a small bento Miya was holding out for him. He mumbled a thank you and turned towards the door. I noticed Yume wasn't around. "Where's Yume-san?" I asked curiously. Musubi rolled around the corner with Uzume, Satero's newest sekirei hot on her heels.

"Bathing. Uzume wants to walk with me there."He said quietly. Musubi came right up to me and started hopping with excitement.

"Musubi wants to go too!" She said childishly. Uzume just smiled a devilish smile at Satero. No doubt Yume's bath was accredited to Uzume. I shook my head and sighed. We left shortly afterwards.

* * *

The walk was slow going. Everyone walked in silence other than Uzume's and Musubi's chatting about the sekirei plan. They said it was still phase one, and that the battles weren't going to start for a minute. That was a relief. I really didn't have the stomach for fighting, and seeing Musubi in battle worried me. Scared me even. I stole a glance at Musubi's childish face and felt that same pang of protective instinct, even though I was far from able to help her. She was a powerful sekirei, and I was just a weak human being who was chanced at being her ashikabi. I felt humbled, if not depressed. Satero was in a world of his own, his eyes blurring and then refocusing on something far away. I remember that look. He got that steely eyed and distracted look whenever he was thinking about a particularly difficult thing or—. Suddenly, realization hit me. Satero was scared. The way he fidgeted, the way he wouldn't meet anyone's gaze, it all became painfully clear. Satero had anxiety issues in regards to school. He was different than most. He could always sense things others couldn't see or hear, and he excelled in physical venues. He was the object of much affection and had a few female admirers that he hardly noticed, but even more enemies and detractors. People labeled him a freak because of his talents and targeted him. He was bullied often, beaten up and alienated, but he never spoke on it. He hated going to school, not because of the constant attacks by older and jealous boys; it was the words and glares from people that unnerved him. I remember him talking about this with Mom, saying something like, "Physical pain, I can handle. Its the mental battle I cant handle. The way people look at me...It's like they dont think I'm human." My reaction to this sudden epiphany about Satero's behavior brought me to a full stop, and my hand automatically reached out for him, stopping him. Musubi and Uzume stopped their chatter for a moment to look at me questioningly.

"What?" Satero said, surely surprised and a little befuddled at my sudden action.

"There's nothing to worry about, you know. Don't worry about them. Tune them out, be confident in yourself, and always remember that you aren't alone." I pep talked him; using some of the same words my mom used to pep talk him when he was smaller. That seemed to hit the mark. A very small smirk played on his lips.

"Thanks, oh big-brother of mine," He said sarcastically. I knew he appreciated my words. Whenever I got all supportive older-brother on him, he always took on this weird sarcastic attitude. It was part gratitude and part him telling you to shut the hell up. I found it hilarious. My laugh rang out, and he joined me, sharing in the private moment that Musubi and Uzume were trying to figure out. "We just had a brother-to-brother moment." Satero clarified for our sekirei. They nodded and we continued our walk to the school. Uzume and Satero were chatting it up this time, and to avoid listening in on a potentially private conversation, I listened to Musubi talk about her training exercises with the landlady. She began training with Miya sometime before Satero's meditation episode (I still remember being worried that he'd turned to a veggie on the lawn). My phone rang suddenly, and I jumped. I had forgotten I had it. I picked it up and put it to my ear to hear Matsu's stressed voice.

"Mina-tan, I've been seeing some strange activity around the university. Satellites show fire, water, and ice phenomena sprouting up all over the area. Be really careful, I think there have been some sekirei battles in the immediate area." Matsu warned me.

"Okay, Matsu-san. Should I—"

"No. It's not that serious, I just wanted you to be aware." Matsu said.

I put away the phone after she hung up and looked at Satero. He seemed so sure of himself in this very moment, and for a small moment, I thought I saw a look of belonging on his face. I smiled inwardly and turned back to Musubi's incessant chattering, before clutching at my stomache and holding back the urge to vomit. Was I getting sick? I needed to get home fast.

* * *

~Satero~

_Sigh…Here we go._ I thought as I crossed the threshold of the campus. I turned and waved off Minato, who asked if I knew where to go. "I don't need baby-sitting, Minato. Relax. Things will be just fine." I said with as much nonchalance as I could muster. Minato gave me that look that always told me he saw right through me, but I was pleased when he let the issue drop before I got defensive. Old habits die hard I guess. I checked my pockets and back pack to make sure I had everything. _Cell phone…check. Wallet…check. iPod…check. Notebook…check. Ink pens…check. Pencils…check. Registration papers…check. All good._ I went through the full mental checklist while rummaging through my stuff. I waved again to Minato, nodded a goodbye to Musubi, and gave Uzume a chaste peck on the cheek. _Easier every time, _I thought with satisfaction.

"See ya when you get home, m'kay?" Uzume said and gave me her cute one-eyed grin and poked her tongue out at me. _Geez, does she always look that cute?_

"Gotcha." I said simply. "Later guys." I dismissed them. I didn't want them hanging around. People were beginning to look. Uzume must have seen this because she pushed herself up to me quickly, and gave me a very light peck on the lips, returning my gesture and bringing on the whispers of jealously and hatred (A small part of me was thankful she didn't get any saliva from me). I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly what she was doing. No doubt, every guy was staring at Uzume and Musubi, particularly their breasts, and trying to make the connection between us. Uzume just made it clear she belonged to me, making me a target without meaning to. It was supposed to remove the speculation. Well, now I was the talk of the town. I walked away before she could do anything else, and tried to ignore the piercing glares and hateful looks sent my way.

* * *

I had two morning classes, a lunch period, and a final early afternoon class. I would be back at Izumo Inn before two p.m. I smiled at my schedule. I had alternating weekend classes, one or two in the mornings. I could deal with that. I made my way through the crisp and fresh halls towards my first class, ignoring glares from guys, whispers from huddled girls, and dodging the occasional girl who I felt was being a bit too forward in their advances to know me. I remember reading somewhere that the more unobtainable something is, the more desirable it becomes. _Open season on the fresh-meat with one of the hottest girls in existence as a_— I stopped the thought. The word girlfriend was a mental taboo. I couldn't think about it, because I would begin to feel guilty. When it was just Yume, I was fine, but now it's Uzume and Yume. I couldn't fathom how things would work out. _Not the time to be thinking about this stuff._ I chastised myself as I made a wrong turn into a fashion marketing class. Rows of girls turned their gazes on me, and I found myself stuttering out, "Wrong turn, y'know? Sorry, for interrupting." I turned before any giggling could start. Looks like my awkward phase is still in effect. I found my class after a couple minutes of back-tracking, and handed the professor my slip for his class. I took a seat near a window and settled.

* * *

The morning went fast. I went through English and Calculus silently, listening to the lectures and concepts and all that. I sat near a window in both classes, and I tried to keep my eyes from meeting with anybody who might recognize me from my arrival. Lunch was not as simple. As I walked into the commons with my bento, I saw countless other people gathering around tables, on the floor, or standing. I couldn't find one place that was even remotely unpopulated. I gulped. Luckily, the campus was open and lunch lasted an hour and a half, so I began to leave. I made it not four steps to the opening when another group of guys and females came waltzing right in, blocking my path. Perfect. I let my hair fall over my eyes, hopefully making me less noticeable as I tried to slip by them, but a firm and sweaty hand found my forearm. It took a small amount of restraint to not rip myself free of him and lash out with an elbow or foot. Old habits definitely die hard. "Hey there, guy. I'm going to take a wild guess and say you're this year's fresh meat. Taketo-sama's the name, ruling this school's my game."

_More like being the school jerkoff._ I thought. "Satero Notame. Pleasure, Taketo-_san_. And I'm not fresh meat, I'm a first year. Now if you will excuse me…" I said hostily, trying once again to move past him and his childish antics. Walking around with what I deemed his posse and trying to assert himself as a grand player in the school was childish to me.

"Where do you think you're going, handsome?" One girl purred from behind Taketo. Her hair was dyed a disgusting bubble-gum pink, and she had a glint in her eyes that immediately made me want to run in the opposite direction.

"To eat in peace." I said, shrugging my shoulders as if I was bored.

"Who were the babes and that one guy?" Taketo asked passive-aggressively, confirming what I already knew. He was gunning for me. This is how the minds of guys like him work. He sees a guy with a girl he thinks is too hot or sexy for him. He sees that the girl only has eyes for the guy. He may or may not see other traits such as coolness, intelligence, popularity, and novelty. He then decides if the guy is an ally or a threat depending on his demeanor. This was what I immediately knew he was doing. He was filling me out and trying to see if he wanted to include me in his posse, or get rid of me. I decided not to play ball.

"No one you'll ever meet, you arrogant asshole. Who attaches –sama to their own name? You are in college now. Practically an adult. Grow up, will you?" I said and snatched my arm from him. I took advantage of his shock to slip away. _That felt really good. Really good._

* * *

Ten minutes later, I found myself on the familiar road to the clock tower. I was really beginning to form a habit. Bento in hand, I snuck into the tower, and made my way up to the clock face. I didn't have to search for the way out onto the ledge. I pushed on a small section of the glass, and it fell open easily. I pulled myself through and plopped my butt onto the ledge. I put the bento down beside me and tried not to look down at the ground. A small breeze wafted across my face, bringing the smell of spring and cherry blossoms. I smiled. I liked it up here. I opened my bento to find seared fish, a sweet roll, rice cakes, and square of sweet jam. There were plenty of veggies on the side. "Wow, Miya-san, you cook like grandma Sahashi. I think I'm gonna call you Granny Miya from now on." I joked to myself. I picked up the chopsticks in the box and began eating.

"Enjoying your food?" A small chuckle came from somewhere to my left, after a few moments of silence. I looked and saw none other than Karasuba, and my heart began to race. I dropped my bento and scrambled to my feet, my adrenaline pumping, making me almost fall off the ledge. "Relax. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Sure you aren't. Just like you weren't after me the last time. Still, somehow I found myself with a slice along my chest!" I spit back at her angrily. I tensed and relaxed, then continued the cycle. I felt my energy bunch up in my body. My breathing was erratic, and my chest hurt from the force of my beating heart. Her very presence set me on edge. _Fear,_ said a small voice in my head. _That's what this is._ I shook the thought away. I wasn't afraid of her. Was I? I was suddenly small again, looking at her cruel smile as she swung a sword down at me. My foot edged backwards. I was very weak, physically and mentally. I realized that I was weak and breakable compared to her. She almost killed me that first time, without even blinking an eye. I shuddered.

"I said relax. Look," she began, opening her shawl. I stared blankly at her hips. Something was missing. "I'm not even carrying my Notodachi. I'm unarmed. Powerless."

"I doubt that." I said. Another inch backwards. She put her hands up and smiled.

"I'm here to deliver a message, from Minaka. He says, 'Please keep your phone on and on your person at all times. Otherwise I can't contact you.' The first stage is almost over, so believe me when I say this silence is nothing but the calm before the storm." She said, but seemed to be visualizing something at the end of her message.

"Okay. And?" I said, detecting she wanted to say something else.

"And…I can't wait to see you and your sekirei at the end. So get stronger. Get stronger with your sekirei so my ashikabi and I, and you and your sekirei can be the last ones left." She said with a hint of insanity in her voice. "I want the act of destroying you and sekirei that much more fulfilling."

"Don't hold your breath. I don't plan on playing in MBI's game." I said bitingly at her. She smiled again, and began to speak again.

"You don't really have a choice. If you try to abstain, the discipline squad will be there to coerce you back into the game. You try to run, and I will personally kill you. No escape. You will play the game, or you will pay the price. Your choice." She said while she leapt away in a blur of speed. I glared after her.

"That was an interesting exchange," came another voice.

"Kazehana-san," I said, sighing that it was just her. I turned to find her looking after Karasuba's figure with a small amount of contempt in her eyes. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Enjoying the breeze." She said, smiling at me. "Shame about that bento. Looked delicious." She said, and suddenly I was reminded about my dropping the bento.

"GAH! AW NO! NOW WHAT AM I GOING TO EAT!? THIS IS NOT COOL, Y'KNOW!" I screamed, comically freaking out. Kazehana's hands clamped down on my shoulders.

"Relax Satero-kun, before you fall off this ledge. I will take you to get something to eat, okay?" She breathed, giggling. I just nodded, tears in my eyes.

* * *

Lunch with Kazehana was surprisingly fun. She drank of course, but she seemed to get more interesting the more she drank. She'd laugh at anything, and she would constantly say things that made me blush for reasons I couldn't begin to explain. I found myself laughing at her, and my exchange with Karasuba was all but forgotten. She paid for the meal and her countless drinks with a shiny, black, credit card, and I had to help _her_ out of the restaurant. I looked at my watch and saw I was about half an hour late for class. Great.

"Can you get back to the inn?" I asked Kazehana.

"Suuuuureeee, Satero-_kyuunnn,"_ she slurred. She fell against me, giggling drunkenly. She pecked me on the cheek, leaving sake breath in my nostrils, and floated away on the wind. I watched after her wondrously, pondering how she could ride the wind, then began rushing back to class.

* * *

~Yume~

"Musubi, keep your arms closer to your chest so you can protect your midsection!" I coached, as she and Miya sparred in the courtyard. Musubi's yells of exertion and Miya's easy breathing were all you could really hear. Musubi wasn't doing very well. A kick was sloppy and Miya diverted it easily, opening up Musubi's midsection for a death blow. Miya capitalized and smacked the side of her wooden sword into Musubi's stomach in a swift stroke.

"Ow!" Musubi complained while rubbing herself.

"That kick was very sloppy. More sloppy than any of your other kicks. Be careful how you throw your weight, because it could make your kick off balance and slow. Yume, do you mind demonstrating?" Miya said. I stepped forward and threw a simple kick, making sure to keep my support base stable.

"Ah, okay. I see what I did wrong." Musubi nodded, and I turned and left Miya and Musubi to train, because Satero would be home soon and I needed to speak with Matsu. I passed by Kazehana's drunken form on the couch, and nodded to my fellow sekirei partner, Uzume as I made my way upstairs. Uzume yawned and waved. I knew Kusano was taking a nap in Minato's room, so I was careful to watch my footing on the stairs. I knew one of the stairs creaked. I snuck upstairs, holding my breath as I placed my weight on the creaky floorboard, and knocked on the wall to my left. After a moment, the wall slid back to reveal a dark and stuffy storage like space with a giant supercomputer on the far wall. Minato was sitting cross legged on a cushion, and by the look on his face, he was more than thankful that I had shown up. Matsu looked slightly annoyed, but she pushed her glasses up to her eyes and greeted me.

"Hello Yume-tan. I take it you want to know where he is," she almost stated as if she had a clue as to why I was here.

"Guilty, I do want to know if he's close yet. I get anxious when he's far away. But that's not why I'm here. I came to ask for information about the plan. I've got a gut feeling something bad is happening." I said. I knew something big was happening, but I couldn't quite place why.

"Okay. Please come in. It's funny you came, because I was poking around in MBI's databases and saw some scientist blogs. Very question rising. Here take a look," she said as she sat me down next to Minato in front of the screen. Minato looked pale and weak in the light, but he waved at me and smiled. I returned the gesture. Matsu cracked her knuckles and did a few complex keystrokes I could never hope to mimic. Suddenly, words and pictures popped up onto the screen. "Like hacking into student's social networking pages. Too easy." Matsu said with pride as I began studying the blog.

_I am pleased to see some real progress with the Sekirei Tech we found onboard the ship they arrived in. Aside from tissue regenerators and tracking devices, we discovered some life altering things. We suspect we've found a cloning device and a sekirei incubator. We are yet to discover the exact processes as to how the incubator works and what it requires, but we have had success with the cloning device. Using cells and brain matter from recent deactivated Sekirei, #24, #49, #66, and #13, we have simulated the rebirth of these. We are still studying them, but for now we have documented them as the Sekirei-X generation. Hiroto-sama has been studying the Original's cells for some time, and asked that we test the cloning device with those special cells. Not much success has been achieved, but we are making progress. Hiroto-sama has settled for the original Sekirei plan proceedings, but has ordered the adjusting and re-release of rebirthed sekirei. Phase one will be declared up shortly, and then the real fun will begin in Phase two. Recent success makes me wonder if there's hope for the scrap number._

I blinked a couple of times to make sure I just read that right. Minaka was trying to change things? Sekirei-X Generation? What did it mean? I swallowed a lump in my throat and tried to speak. No sound came out.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say you are as shocked as I am, Yume-san." Minato said weakly. He was turning an odd color of green. Matsu saw this at the same time and put a hand to his forehead.

"Wow. Mina-tan, you're burning right up! We've got to get you to bed! Miya-tan?" Matsu said to the air, and no more than 10 seconds later Miya ghosted in and was helping Matsu walk a shaky Minato to his room. I turned back to the screen and hit a key experimentally. A grid map full of multi-colored dots was the first thing I saw. I roved over them, unable to understand what I was seeing, until I saw a cluster of dots inside a building with the name Izumo Inn over it. This was a tracking map. I could see a dot rapidly moving towards to inn, and instantly was on edge. Was it another sekirei, or was it Satero? I closed down the map so the article was back up and ran to check and see about Minato, purely out of concern.

"Ugh…" Minato complained. "Why have I been feeling so sick?" He asked no one. Matsu was studying Minato with an intense expression while Miya seemed to be thinking about something far away.

"He has a very high fever." Matsu said softly. She was wringing her hands and her glasses seemed to be falling off her face. She nudged them back up.

"It reminds me of…" Miya began, and then clamped her mouth shut quickly. She seemed to be battling with herself. "Minato-san, would you like to know how Ashikabi are brought into existence?" She asked suddenly.

"How did you know about…?" Minato trailed, and then decided against continuing.

"Ashikabi can exist in two ways. One, they can be artificially be created by injecting a human with sekirei D.N.A at a young age, or two, be born with the D.N.A. already in your system, which by the way is rare. Would you like to know how to tell the two apart?" She said and then continued without waiting for an answer. "The ones that are injected experience no noticeable change. It's like getting a flu shot. The ones born with it, never quite know until the D.N.A awakens. It could lie dormant for years, but it usually activates after coming in contact with a sekirei. This is the information my husband discovered about Ashikabi before he—

She stopped suddenly and turned away. That was awfully sudden. I couldn't help but blink while I stared at Minato's clammy face.

"Understandable. I guess I'm the latter. It's funny, because I remember my mother saying something similar happened to Satero when we first adopted him. It was a sudden and very aggressive flu virus, she said. I guess it all makes sense now…" He said hoarsely, and fought a losing battle against his fluttering eyelids. "What happens now?" He asked before his voice ceased. All I could hear was his silent breathing. At that moment, Kuu and Musubi walked into the room, and I excused myself. I left, but not beofre hearing, "Pray to the heavens you dont suffer any debilitations, or even worse...die."

_**UGHHHHH! THIS TOOK FOREVER! SO SORRY. I'm Expecting feather 7 and omake 1 o be finished soon, depending on my schedule. Good little plot twist huh? ASHIKABI CAN BECOME POWERFUL AND SPECIAL, BUT AT A HUGE RISK!**_


	8. Omake 1

_**Okay! Time to keep rolling. Time for some fun!**_

**Omake: A little rivalry never hurt anyone…right?**

~Satero~

"The Tokyo Games?" I asked, confused about what I was hearing. Yume sighed and explained again.

"The Tokyo Games is an annual competition where entrants run obstacle courses, do boxing matches, and other fun things. Uzume and I talked it over, and we want to join. I'm sure Minato-san and Musubi will be entering too!"

I nodded. It had been about two weeks since Minato's sudden flu, and he's been really antsy to do something. I'd be the same way, considering he was bed ridden for a full week, and recovering for another. Now, Minato was as good as new. Heck, he was better than he's ever been. He said he's never had more energy or felt so physically strong before. I blamed the sekirei D.N.A.

Miya explained what happened to Minato during his days confined to his room. She said he was reacting to the sekirei D.N.A in his body, and stress from recent events set it off. I personally was happy. Now I wasn't so freaky. In fact, Matsu said the news was talking about an epidemic of the flu, and MBI had some databases that indicated that almost every single one of the Ashikabi they had listed was sick. "Coincidence? I think not." I remember she said.

"Let me see that flyer." I said to Uzume. She handed it over. I peered over it carefully, studying every detail. Abruptly, I sighed. I saw that Hiroto Minaka was proctoring the games. "Figures. Of course Spectacles would be spear-heading this." I grumbled to myself.

"Come-ooonnnnnnn, Satero-kun! Registration ends today! I've needed to let off a little steam!" Uzume whined. She then pouted her lips cutely and lowered her eyelids at me (in that extremely disarming stare that I both loved and hated).

"Satero-sama, it really is fun. They have parkour competitions, you know." Yume said. That got my attention, and my skeptic façade faltered.

"Come on, Satero-kun, it'll be fun and you know it!" Uzume said, failing at keeping the triumph out of her voice.

"Alright, Alright, Uzume-chan! Cut it out already! Let's go get registered!" I caved. Yume and Uzume both let out small cheers and ran upstairs to get prepared. I figured I'd go get ready too.

* * *

More than an hour later, I was back downstairs sitting on the couch and _still _waiting for Uzume and Yume to get ready. "What the hell are they doing up there, discussing world politics?" I grumbled to myself. Minato and Musubi left hours ago and I wanted to be gone. I was dressed in a simple gray jogging suit with a white t-shirt underneath. I could only imagine what they were dressing in.

"Sometimes, women like their men to wait a bit." Kazehana's voice wafted from behind me, along with her normal smell of wine and sake. When I didn't stiffen as usual, she simply walked around the couch and sat down on the other side of the seat. Her face was twisted with what I could only call a migraine.

"Mother of all hangovers, huh?" I asked.

"Yep," she replied.

"You really shouldn't drink so much," I chided.

"Yeah, I thought about that. But then, I'd be bored…" she trailed.

"I'm sure you'd find something to fill your time with." I said. She then turned to me and gave me a look that made me shiver.

"I'm sure I would too." She said lowly, so only I could hear. I pretended not to catch the obvious flirtation. "So, how're the eyes?" She asked seriously, completely dropping her usual fluttery way of speaking.

"Don't know. Haven't been using them. I figured I shouldn't, considering how my eyes bled that first time."

"Well, that may be best." Miya spoke up from behind us. I jumped out of the seat and turned to face her. Kazehana just laughed and leaned on the armrest of the couch.

"I hate it when you do that…" I began underneath my breath, but then thought I'd have better luck keeping quiet. No such luck.

"What was that, hmmm?" Miya asked brightly, allowing her demon mask to float up behind her and bare its teeth at me. I stiffened.

"I didn't say anything, y'know! I would never disrespect you, Granny-Miya!" I said too quickly, yet again, letting my verbal quirk out. Miya just laughed, not at all bothered by my nickname for her.

"Okay then, Satero. One thing before I leave to see the pre-games concerts: I would you regard me as your older sister if that at all. You make me feel so old when you call me 'Granny.'" She said lightly, her mask lingering before she took her leave.

"You sure have a way with the ladies, Don'cha?" Uzume said from the stairs.

"I guess I do." I said sarcastically. "Ready to go?"

"Yep. Yume-san and I were just choosing our outfits and taping up our breasts. Wouldn't want them to bounce around too much, now would we?" She said, somehow knowing that I could imagine their assets bouncing around everywhere. I shook my head. Yume was standing silently behind her. They were both dressed in stylish, but rather low-key exercise gear. It looked good, but didn't attract attention. I nodded my appreciation and acceptance of the look and motioned for the door.

"See you later, Satero. I'll be watching on the T.V," Kazehana said while Yume, Uzume and I walked out the door.

"Bye Kazehana-san." I replied. We were on our way.

* * *

A few hours later, I was standing in front of a row of desks, waiting while Uzume and Yume signed in and got our numbers. I couldn't help but look around in awe at everything around me. As far as I could see, there was nothing but people, lined up or grouped together, waiting for a chance to become the winner of the games. In the small avenue that I was standing in, I could see the games took up more than a couple miles of the city. These games were going to be huge! I was practically bouncing with anticipation when Yume and Uzume turned to me to pin my number on my chest. I was number 258, Uzume was number 260, and Yume was 259. They pinned their numbers on their stomachs, underneath their breasts, as to not draw any more attention, unlike many of the other girls I saw. I tried not to pay them any mind.

Suddenly, a hand clamped down hard on my shoulder, and I instinctively whirled and lashed out with a defensive punch to the aggressor.

"GUGH!" a male voice cried.

"Satero! Why'd you punch him!?""Minato's voice carried afterwards. I blinked. The man whose jaw I had punched was shifting his jaw around, checking to see if it was broken. He looked at me with an intense excitement.

"Wow, kid, you really pack a punch! Name's Seo! Are you entering the kickboxing tournament?" He asked wickedly, a look in his eyes saying that he was hoping I did.

"Nah, I don't think it'd be smart. I am entering free-running. Minato, what are you going to do?" I asked, trying to appear at ease despite the fact that there were thousands of people crowded into the small area.

"You should. Anyway, I should get back to my sekirei. They get fierce when I'm away for long." Seo said.

"You're an Ashikabi!?" I almost yelled. He shrugged.

"We can talk later at the Inn. See you at work tomorrow Minato!" Seo said casually and then sauntered off, weaving through the crowd towards the kickboxing sign ups. Yume didn't hesitate to follow after him.

"Wait, Yume!" I called for her. She stopped and turned back to me, looking concerned. Minato wasn't paying attention anymore. He had run off in some other direction.

"What's up?" She said.

"Are you signing up for kickboxing?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't she?" Uzume piped up from behind me, and I blushed in embarrassment because I had forgotten she was there.

"Just be careful not to hurt anyone. I know you're super strong and all." I said. She nodded and was off. I didn't think I'd be seeing her anytime soon. I turned to Uzume who was flipping her single ponytail around her fingers.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"The marathon run and maybe the timed obstacle course. You should do the city relay and the kickboxing. Seems like something you'd do good in." she suggested. I thought about it briefly and nodded my head. She smiled and walked away to sign up for her events. I went to sign up for mine.

* * *

Another thirty minutes and four long lines later, I'm standing near the marathon run starting line, waiting for the announcers to call the contestants. I scanned the crowd for Uzume and saw her rolling her ankles around to loosen them up. I cut through the crowd to touch my finger to her forearm, grabbing her attention almost immediately. Her face lit up with a giant smile.

"You're going to do the marathon run?" She asked.

"Why not? It'd give me a chance to spend some time with you." I said a little too quickly, and turned away before she could see my blush.

"Try not to stare at my boobs while I run m'kay?" She joked then wrapped her slender fingers between mine. I already felt my heart rate going up. The gunshot that signaled the start of the marathon sounded, and hundreds of runners began to stampede past me and Uzume. She released my hand, and we began to run.

The marathon was simply a five mile run, one that I was sure I could do without too much difficulty and one that Uzume could do easily. We were content with jogging and speed walking next to each other. I didn't know what out place was, and frankly, I didn't care. We didn't speak. We were too busy trying to keep our breathing even. I kept my eyes forward, but it was hard to miss the bouncing of her breasts in my peripheral vision. _Focus…_ I told myself. I kept my pace, feeling the air rush in and out of my lungs. At one point, while I was concentrating on my breathing, Uzume's hand wrapped around my arm and jerked me to a walk.

"We were moving too fast. Any faster and we'd be sprinting." She said between puffs. She wrapped her hand in mine again and we paced ourselves at a brisk walk. "Could you tell me a little bit about yourself? I feel like I hardly know you." She said. I shrugged.

"What's there to tell?" I asked, hoping she'd give me an idea where to start.

"What do you like?"

"A lot of things." I said vaguely, picking back up my old habits.

"Yume said you'd do this." She sighed. "Why are you so guarded all of the time?" she asked, almost annoyed. I sighed.

"I guess it's my defense mechanism. To protect myself from pain and other undesirable feelings, y'know? I try not to think about things that make me sad or make me feel pain. So when people ask me questions about me, I naturally deflect." I explained.

"You don't have to do that with me. I'm your sekirei, a part of you. You could tell me that you killed a man and enjoyed it and I'd still love you." She said simply, looking into my eyes for a moment after confessing love.

"I could never figure out how to respond to that." I said, thinking out loud.

"Respond to what?" Uzume asked, genuinely confused.

"Respond to someone saying 'I love you.'" I admitted, guilty for some reason.

"It takes some courage; let me tell you, but when the time is right, your heart will speak your true feeling for someone. Sometimes it just takes the right stimulus." She responded and then, thankfully, changed the subject. "Anyway, Minato's your brother, huh?"

"Yeah. Well, he's my adoptive brother, but my brother none the less."

"You were adopted?"

"Yeah. I grew up not knowing my true family. Some terrible plane crash that only I survived. Some people that lived on the island I crashed on knew my family and contacted Takami, a friend of theirs to take me somewhere. Turns out Takami was a shared friend. She took me in and that was that. I officially became her son along with Yukari and Minato."

"Takami? Takami _Sahashi?_ That was my adjustor! Back when she still worked for MBI." Uzume said with some shock.

"Well, then she has to know about the sekirei plan." I stated simply. That's one person I could talk to now.

We talked some more about each other, learning each other likes and dislikes before we crossed the finish line. We were in 85th and 86th place. Not bad by my standards. In regards to a marathon run with hundreds of people. I checked the time and found it was time for the relay, so I said my goodbye to Uzume and ran off.

* * *

"On your marks," the announcer said as I slipped down into my position as second to the anchor. "Get set!" The announcer yelled in anticipation. I looked back at the runners I was grouped with and frowned slightly. They didn't look too fast. I turned forward and saw Minato as the anchor for the second group of runners, one of my competitions. He waved at me and yelled good luck to me. I returned the phrase. "GO!" the scream came, and I felt the jolt of energy as the runners came barreling down the path. I had time to watch the runners with the batons in their hands sprint toward the second legs. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and the anchor of our group was looking at me with apology in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but could you take anchor? I don't think I can handle it," he said.

"Sure." I said and rushed to the anchor position. Minato looked at me with question. I shrugged. The second legs were running now. I spent a moment staring at Minato before he motioned that the third legs were running. I turned to watch and prepared. As the guy I switched with began closing in, two things happened. He tripped on his own foot and went flying forward baton in hand. I rushed in to catch him so he wouldn't hurt himself and cut my side on the edge of the baton. I winced as the sharp edge of the metal pole sliced through my thin shirt and cut me open, but I grabbed the stick and turned to run anyway. Minato was already ahead. I was in dead last. My feet planted and propelled me forward while I pumped my arms for extra power. I caught up and passed the two other runners aside from Minato before I was trailing by a couple of feet behind Minato. He huffed and puffed, but moved forward in quick long strides, and it took some effort to remain in the position I was at. The finish line was approaching fast, and the pain in my side was excruciating. I found myself slowing down, and Minato pulled ahead. I bared my teeth and using my second wind, charged forward with every muscle and once of strength in my being. I made it even with Minato and flung myself forward to hit the finish line before he did. He had the same idea.

"It's a photo finish!" the announcer yelled as Minato and I tumbled to stops past the finish line. I rolled over and clutched my throbbing wound while Minato just gasped for air. A few moments and the announcer yelled Minato's number and announced him and his group the winners. Intense disappointment rushed through me as I got up and limped towards the kickboxing tournament to watch Yume.

* * *

~Yume~

The crowd's cheers were all I could hear as I danced around another blow meant for my face. I'm sure it wouldn't have hurt, because I was decked out in protective gear, but still, you got more points for dodging blows than blocking them. The girl in front of me charged at me again, and in a quick combo, I brought her to her knees. To signal the end of the match for her, I whipped around and as lightly as I could, kneed her in the temple, sending her sprawling. The ref waved the white flag of victory and what I assumed were the girl's friends dragged her limp body from the ring. I apologized to their retreating figures.

"Now, for the final match of the tournament, Number 259 and Number 88 will battle for the crown!" The announcer yelled over the cheers and jibes from the crowd. Musubi walked into the ring and bowed to me, being polite as always.

"Please take care of me!" She yelled and raised her fists a gleam of childish excitement in her eyes. I could understand how she got to the finals. Her childishness was disarming, and probably led people to underestimate her. I wouldn't make that mistake. I raised my fists and spread me feet to prepare for our match. I was completely focused until I saw what looked like a protesting Satero being prodded by a female nurse. The first thing I felt was concern. _Is he hurt—_"Yah!" Musubi's battle cry pierced my thoughts as her fist slammed into my chest, knocking the wind out of me. That whipped me back into focus. We danced for a while trading blows and connecting few. I looked again towards Satero and he was still being taken care of by the foreign woman. I felt a bit jealous. Who was she to touch _my _ashikabi? Musubi's foot caught mine in my moment of mental preoccupation and yanked it from under me. I caught myself before I fell onto my back, because a fall to the mat was a huge deduction in points. I spun on my heels and lashed my foot out and caught Musubi in the chin. She spun out and fell to the mat with a hard bang. I didn't want to hurt Musubi any further so I rushed and put my fist in front of her rising face to imitate a finishing blow. She had lost.

"Wow, Yume-san, you are really good! I can't wait to train with you some more!" She gushed, not bothered at all that she'd lost the battle. I helped her to her feet and hugged her before running off to see about Satero.

"Claim the prize for me would you?" I said to Musubi as I left.

When I got to Satero, I looked over him to see where he was hurt if he was. Confirming my fear, he had a small gash on his ribcage, but it was wrapped up nice and tight.

"Relax, would'ya? I'm fine, Yume! Congratulations! I knew you'd win!" He said with some enthusiasm. He used my arm to stand up and hugged me. I sighed happily. _Best prize ever._ I thought. Minato, Musubi, and Uzume came over too. Minato was holding a wrapped box and a pair of shoes. His prize I figured. Uzume was carrying a basket full of random goodies that I didn't care to look at. Musubi was holding my crown. She placed it on my head and also wrapped a sash around me. It read, "Kickboxing Champion of the Women's Division."

"Well, seeing as I can't do the last two events I signed up for, let's go home." Satero suggested. Minato laughed and smacked Satero on the back.

"Yeah. Let's go home!" he said. We turned and prizes and laughter as our companions, walked back to the inn.

_**Chapter finish! SPRING BREAK TIME! **_


	9. Feather 7

_**This will be a shorter chapter, mainly because the next one is going to be mammoth sized. **_

**Feather 7: Beginning of the End**

~Yume~

"Satero, are you okay? Please stop shaking…" I said softly, trying to break my ashikabi from whatever nightmare he was suffering from. I placed my hands on his clammy cheeks, and slapped one side of his face with a small measured amount of power. He still lay there, constantly saying, "Stop it! Stop it! I never did anything to you!" I was surprised when he called my name and went reaching. I put my face to his hand, but it remained somewhat limp, as if he didn't realize I was responding. He grunted and flipped away from me, curled into a ball and shook some more, as if he was trying to bunker down from some onslaught. I held his hand tightly, trying to break into his nightmare somehow. I realized I didn't need to because I saw the familiar vein in Satero's head pop out and bulge as he began mumbling, "Enough! That's enough!" A moment of silence and his eyes flew open and he jerked upright, screaming, "I SAID ENOUGH!" I tried not to let the almost painful tightness on my hand from him clenching so hard distract me as I looked into his already receding Tengan.

"Yume," he breathed, and fell forward into my bosom, exhausted, even though he'd just been asleep. "It was the same dream. Just like before I met you. I can see her, and she's trying to kill me!" This startled me, and my hand flew protectively around his head. His breathing slowed as I massaged patterns into his hair and hummed. Then, I could hear light snoring. He was asleep again. His words replayed in my mind, _"…she's trying to kill me!"_ My anger and fierce desire to protect Satero was amplified many times over. I lay back with Satero still cupped to my breasts and stroked his hair some more. _I will protect you, Satero! I won't let you get hurt!_ I vowed before slipping into my own troubled sleep.

* * *

~Somewhere Else Entirely~

Minaka pushed his glasses up to his nose and grinned with delight at what he was seeing in front of him. "Explain to me again what this means for the sekirei plan, my dear scientist! Please, Please!" Minaka urged, waving at a scientist that was standing in his office.

"With the Sekrei X-Generation Project complete, we can now clone and essentially revive any sekirei that are terminated. We have achieved a 100 percent success rate with making perfect clones of experimental sekirei number four. The clones have been deactivated and stored for times of crisis."

"My sekirei army…please continue!" Minaka commanded.

"Project Birds and Bees is also complete. We have succeeded in raising five new sekirei. They are all very young, but we are working on the accelerated aging device. We estimate that it will be complete in one month." The scientist stated.

"And project God-Hand? What's its status?" Minaka asked with insane fervor. The scientist smirked and said, "In your hand by morning." Minaka couldn't contain his pleasure and threw a briefcase full of money at his scientist. The scientist bowed and backed out.

"Finally. At long last…I hold the power of God in my hands! I am a new god!" Minaka cackled as he stared imperiously at the city his tower overlooked: The city that he now owned. He crashed his finger down on the intercom button and issued one command: "Order for the end of stage one and lock down the city! We're moving on to stage two!"

* * *

~Later that day~

~Satero~

"Oh, Shut-up, Kagari!" I laughed as Kagari teased me as normal.

"What, you know it's true. You totally faked that nightmare so you could lie on Yume-chan's boobs!" He roared with laughter.

"You know that's a stretch!" I snapped back and then laughed again. Minato called us to breakfast, interrupting our moment of fun. I sighed, and made my way to the table, punching Kagari in the chest lightly. He didn't react to it the same way as he normally did. Instead of the "oof" I was expecting and a hard jab in my shoulder, I got a loud squeak and a strangled moan. I raised an eyebrow at Kagari's suddenly embarrassed and confused face and he tried to laugh it off and play it cool. I didn't pry.

"So, what's for breakfast Granny-Mi—huh?" I stopped when I saw everyone staring intently at the T.V screen. I looked myself, curious as to what had everyone so captivated.

"_My dearest Ashikabi and Sekrei of Teito, I must inform you of a development in the plan. The first stage has ended, as many of you already know. The second stage has begun, and I must ask you to fight, to battle each other for victory. Many of you may not want to fight. Sadly, you've no choice in the matter. Try to escape and you will be stopped and punished. The city is in full lockdown. Every way out of this city has been closed and occupied by MBI's private military. You will not leave. You will fight. You will be intrusments of my Sekirei plan. If you win, you will be rewarded immensely. These are the wishes of your new god. Toodles!" _

The screen went blank. Nobody moved or spoke. I took a look around the room. Kagari's eyes were hard. Uzume looked shocked. Yume eyes were trained on me. Musubi for once was frowning and looked several years older than normal. Kazehana's face darkened. Minato seemed to be resolving his mind about something. Kusano looked around innocently, understanding the mood, but not knowing why. Miya's eyes showed their age, and the wisdom behind them as she said, "It appears, and I say this in the most easy to understand way I can think of, that things have officially gone to hell."

"Bad things are going to happen…I can feel it." Minato said darkly, his eyes growing far away. His hands cupped his youngest sekirei's ears before he said, "And there's going to be blood."


	10. Feather 8

Feather 8: Locked Down and the Torrent

~Satero~

"Geez, I always knew the guy was crazy, but I didn't think he'd go completely bat-shit insane." I said to Uzume. She giggled, but seemed just as bothered by Minaka's announcement as everyone else was. Minato was so bothered by it that he just up and left. Musubi went chasing after him, but I elected to watch over Kuu. She didn't stay worried long, because when I asked her about her powers she began telling me story after story about things she did with plants and trees. She talked so much she talked herself to sleep. Uzume just laughed at my expression after she nodded off. Yume strangely didn't want to hang around. She said something about having to deal with something personal and just stalked off. It kinda unsettled me.

"What's her deal?" I asked with concern. Uzume just shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe you should go after her. I know that's what **I** would want." She suggested. I nodded my assent and got up to go after her. As I looked around for her, I noticed everyone going to their own corners of the inn to deal with the news. Miya had escaped to the Kitchen where she washed dishes and seemed to stare into space. Kazehana was back on the roof, drinking. Kagari was in his room, preparing for work and Matsu was in her room typing away at her computer.

"Come here, Satero." I heard her say with her back turned to me. I let myself into her room and she pointed to a small blue dot on a grid system on top of what looked like the city. The blue dot was blinking and moving positions rapidly. "I don't know where she is, but she may be engaged in battle. Go find her. I've already called Minato so he's investigating as we speak." She said quickly, then dismissed me. I blinked a couple of times then numbly walked out. Yume was out there, and I had no clue what the hell was going on.

* * *

~Yume~

"Taste my wrath, wench!" screamed the aggressor. I couldn't see, I could hardly move, and breathing was a struggle. Everywhere I turned, water was crashing into me. I sputter a couple of times when a stream of powerful water smacked into my face and nose. In desperation, I leapt towards the next building so I could catch a moment's breath and think of an action plan. I had been ambushed five blocks back, and for the last few minutes of this battle, I had been retreating the entire time.

"Leave me alone!" I screamed back when I had sucked in some air. My eyes cleared enough for me to be able to see another stream of water racing towards me. I sidestepped ungracefully, and had to leap across another building gap to regain my composure. When my feet were set, I spun and shot my open palm out. "Energy Spurt!" I called as light energy discharged from my fist and soared towards the general direction of my target. Without thinking, I shot forward after the beam, and let my fighter's instinct guide my fist to my target. My fist shot out, sailed through the air… and missed again. I was not without some reward though. I pushed back my attacker long enough to see her for the first time.

She was clad in a black full body dress, and wearing heels. What struck me hardest was her hair: Golden Blonde, like western hair styles, and extremely long. I could also tell that she wasn't a close up fighter. All her attacks needed space and range to cast. As she retreated to a safe attacking distance, I began leaping in the _other_ direction.

"Return thyself to this skirmish and fight with honor!" she called after me.

"No way, old lady!" I yelled back, mocking her way of speech.

"Wha-Ol-OLD!? YOUR DEMISE IS ASSURED!" She raged as she stopped cold for a moment. She was rapidly falling behind. Turns out she had a temper and couldn't control it well, because a huge tidal wave of water arrows came flying at me. I forgot I wasn't out of range yet. I turned and raised my arms to protect myself when a sheet of ice shot up in front of me.

"What?" I muttered. I hadn't done that.

"Akitsu! Subdue her, but don't hurt her. I do like my collectables in mint condition," a childish voice said.

"Yes master." Another voice called. I took this as my opportunity to escape and began leaping back towards the Inn.

"We can handle them later, Akitsu. First, the water sekirei." The voice faded quickly. I was gone.

A few moments later, I slowed down to the sound of my name being called from two different directions. The louder ones were headed in the direction of the fight I just escaped from. A quieter more familiar one was right below me. I looked down from the roof top to see my ashikabi, Satero jogging and looking around wildly for me. "Yume! Where are you?" He called again. I smiled at an errant thought and called out, "Look out below!" I laughed as he stopped and looked around. Then, I just fell off the roof towards him. He looked up, and the look of pure terror was priceless. I landed on him, but this time, I distributed my weight enough so he didn't get hurt. A small "oof" was all I was greeted with.

* * *

~Satero~

My head was spinning. What had just happened? I'm running through the streets and next thing I know, I've been landed on by a girl—"Hey wait a second!" I remembered this. "This is how we met right?" I asked Yume, who I could tell just by scent alone.

"Yeah, Satero-sama. We met just like this. Only, our meeting was a bit messier." She agreed. We both laughed for a moment, then I promptly began drilling her.

"Why did you leave out like that?"

"Had some stuff on my mind."

"What happened while you were out here?"

"Nothing too bad. I just sort of went to think."

"So, why are you all wet?"

"I was thinking about you." She said slyly. Whatever she was implying was lost on me.

"What?"

"Never mind. I was attacked by a water sekirei." She relented.

"Water sekirei?" I asked incredulously. It reminded me of the dream I had a couple of days back. The flowing blonde hair, the death threats and the crashing sound of water all came rushing back to me. "Let's get home." I said distractedly. I paged Matsu with my cell phone, and I got a small smiley face on my screen. She got my message. We went home.

* * *

~Minato~

I was still laying up, in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. Minaka's announcement scared me. I've heard of insanity, but he was out of his mind. He thought he was a God? What kind of power could he possibly have that would make him believe this? It frightened me. I looked at Musubi's sleeping form and frowned. Minaka claimed he was God, so did that mean he could push a button and everything I loved be taken from me? I couldn't fathom it. I stretched my arm over Musubi's body in a tender embrace, and she perhaps in her sleep reacted the same way. Her arms snaked around my head and she pulled herself closer to me. Her sigh of contentment was louder than her snores. It was times like these I was glad Miya kept Kuu in her room. I gave Musubi a slight peck on the cheek and relaxed into Musubi. I don't know when sleep came, but I know I felt safe and happy in those arms, for that moment.

* * *

~Satero~

I blinked away the urge to close my eyes and sleep in my Calculus class. Yume and Uzume spent the entire night wrestling with my body. Back and forth, push and pull. "He's mine tonight!" or "Hands off! You had him last time!" I wasn't allowed to protest. My head slumped. I was so tired. No sleep can do horrors.

"Mr. Notame, would you like to answer the question I asked the back of your head five times?"

I blinked. When had I fallen asleep? I stood up and faced the board. The math problem was simple. A simple trig function to find the angle and then the angle could be used to solve for the missing variable. "Um, the inverse cosine of the adjacent side length over the hypotenuse will give us, HOLY CHEESE-DIP, LOOK OUT!" I screamed and hit the floor hard.

"The inverse cosine function gives us cheese dip? What are you trying to pull Mr. Notame?" My professor asked. The class began laughing, and I began counting down. "3…2…1…and…"

Suddenly every single window of the class was shattered and water came rushing through. It lost pressure quickly, and nobody got hurt, but the look of terror on the faces of everyone in the room was hilariously relevant to the fear I was feeling. I felt the water shift slightly, and I let myself go back to paranoid Satero. I felt around me for an energy I couldn't recognize. Turns out there was a cloud of energy right in front of me. I risked peeking and immediately regretted my decision. Standing before me was an indignant looking bombshell wearing a black and white dress, heels, flowing blonde hair, and get this, _water floating around her body._ I smiled nervously.

"Um, hi. I take it you're here for recycling? Sorry for polluting your waters and everything, Ms. Mother Nature." I joked. Wrong move.

"I have found thee." She said darkly.

"Found me? Why were you looking for me?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Prepare thyself monkey! Thou shalt be felled by the hand of Tsukuimi, Sekirei #9!" She proclaimed.

"Sorry, miss, but this monkey's got more bananas to eat!" I called comically as I began running for the door. I felt the dumbfounded stares of my classmates as I raced into the hall. I felt the air change behind me, and instinct told me to hit the ground. I lowered my head and slid into a turn, a bolt of water shaped like an arrow smashing through a spot on the wall where my head once was. Yep. Definitely time to hit the gas. I dug my feet and pushed off, sprinting towards the next hallway closest to an exit. I whipped my phone out of my pants pocket and dialed the inn's number on the fly. I hit a sharp left turn and saw another water spear puncture the wall.

"Hello, Izumo Inn! This is the landlady speaking!" Miya answered cheerfully. As respectfully as I could, even though I was running for my life, I yelled, "ANGRY BLONDE CHICK SHOOTING WATER AT ME WITH HER BARE HANDS! LIFE IN DANGER! HELP NOW!"

"Yume's on her way. Get as far away from civilians as possible. We aren't a secret anymore, but people can still get hurt." Miya said calmly, and then hung up. I snapped the phone shut and instead of taking the stairs like normal, I hopped the guard railing and hit the bottom floor running. My breath was beginning to become hard, and I knew I was running out of gas. I heard the clack of heels and screams of terror as Tsukuimi did exactly what I did and roared in fury. I kept running, but had to stop because I hit a dead end. Classroom doors and a giant mural on the wall was all I could see. I turned back to see Tsukuimi shooting a large torrent of water straight at me. I swallowed hard and dropped to the ground, the water barely skimming my nose. I felt some back splash, but when I looked up, there was a massive hole in the wall behind me. My jaw went slack as my eyes rested upon Tsukuimi's angry visage.

"Are you _trying_ to destroy the entire campus?" I asked weakly.

"I will pay for damages. All that matters is slaying the ones that would soil me and violate my ripening maidenhood!" She screamed angrily. I had to pause.

"What?"

BAM! A large torrent of water smashed into my chest, knocking the wind from me and sending me flying through the hole in the wall to the ground on the other side.

* * *

~Yume~

"Oof!" I heard. Satero's muffled sound of impact meant he was nearby. It also meant I didn't have much time to get to him. I leapt from the top of the first building of the campus to one closer to the sound I heard. I scoured the area with a frenzy I never thought I had. "I told you, I'M NOT GOING TO VIOLATE YOU! I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU!" Satero's angry argument came from very close by. I leapt toward the sound, only to land in a jet stream of water. The current knocked my feet from under me, and I was sent twirling away from my ashikabi.

"Yume?" Satero called, before I heard him gasp. I was struggling to get my bearings when more water smashed into me. I was sent flying away even farther, and believe me when I say, it hurt. A lot. The force behind the blow cracked my ribs. I felt and almost heard each sickening pop. I was taking too much damage. I fought my way to my feet, gasping short painful breaths, while my eyes searched for the threat.

"Thine presence is distracting. This monkey needs punishment, and I, #9, Tsukuimi, will serve it!" Tsukuimi proclaimed in her odd dialect. _A single number? No wonder I'm having so much difficulty. I haven't been training hard enough! _I thought. With my injury, I couldn't go all out. If I could, there would be no contest.

"Hey! I decide when I die!" Satero's suddenly dark voice rang out. I looked from my spot to see him standing tall in the face of death. He was being a fool and I opened my mouth to warn him.

"Satero-sama, you may be gifted, but you aren't like us! She will kill you! Please don't make me remind you what happens when you die!" I pleaded. He kept looking forward, but a small smile came to his face.

"I'm not going to die. I survived a plane crash. I was attacked by Karasuba, held my own, and _lived._ I can handle a blonde chick with a temper and gallons of water at her disposal." He said, with a small joke in his voice. He looked back at me and eased his smile ever so slightly.

"Trust me alright?" He said extremely low, meant to be heard by my ears only. I stared into his slowly shifting eyes, and nodded. He was going to use the Tengan.

"Alright Tsukuimi-san. You want me dead? You have to work for it!" He said and began charging her, blatantly ignoring the fact that he would be in point-blank range. I don't know what he saw, but he suddenly dropped into a slide. Tsukuimi's attack rushed through the spot he was in seconds ago. He sidestepped then jumped, and jets of water whizzed past the places he had avoided. He could see her attacks before they came.

"Stay still!" Tsukuimi said, her temper growing. Her attacks became fiercer, and wilder, but Satero just began to smile wider and wider. He was enjoying this. He was purposefully dancing in and out of her attack patterns to annoy her. His strategy worked, because Tsukuimi's yell of agitation was undeniable. When she paused to let her agitation win, Satero struck. He moved in and grabbed her by both of her arms. She adopted a look of terror, which amused me to no end. He then twisted under her and used her own weight to bring her to her knees. She dropped and she began to beg.

"I beseech thee, please don't soil mine maidenhood!" She cried. Satero frowned and then flicked her in the forehead.

"I told you, didn't I? I wasn't going to do that! I don't even know you. Though," he paused while releasing his grip and stepping away, "I am curious. Why do you hate me so much?" Tsukuimi seemed to ponder what to do, and stared up at Satero's face, a hint of righteous fury still lingering.

"I will be honorable and parley with thee. I do not hold any hateful feelings. I merely wish people who would violate me to gain power not to exist. I will not be winged! I do not need an ashikabi, and I would kill all those I react to!" She proclaimed proudly. I stepped forward to Satero's side, pulling him closer to me protectively.

"You're reacting?" Satero asked.

"Yes." She said indignantly. Satero frowned. I spoke up then.

"You know, winging isn't what you think it is. It's not, God forbid, sex. It's a simple exchange of saliva in the form of a kiss. You really should get your facts straight before flying off the handle." I said, mimicking Satero's use of idioms. He laughed and nudged me in my broken ribs, which made me double over and gasp. Suddenly, he was freaking out.

"You were hurt!? Oh no, please don't be hurt! Where is it the worst? Can I touch you? DAMN IT, I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!" He cursed himself. I waved my hand at him to calm down and stood up, holding my side lightly. I'd heal quickly. Meanwhile, Tsukuimi watched us with, rapt with curiosity.

"So the monkey hasn't tasted the nectar of thine own fruit?" She asked silently.

"No, he hasn't." I responded matter-of-factly. _At least, not yet…_ I allowed myself a longing glance at Satero before he turned and raised an eyebrow. _And again, the innuendos have flown over his head._ I shook my head.

"So, thou shall not harm me?" She asked, this time directed at Satero.

"I won't make you do anything you rather not do. Hell, if you don't even want to be my sekirei, that's fine. I just want you to stop trying to kill me." He offered, genuine and warm. Tsukuimi's chest began rising and falling a lot heavier than before. Her eyes lowered and she seemed to be fighting with herself.

"I think…thou art meant to be mine Ashikabi after all." She allowed, and put her head down so we couldn't see her blush. After all that, she was just ready to throw herself at Satero. It annoyed me, because I had more competition.

"Thou will accept responsibility?" She asked. I stepped away to give them room. I didn't like it, but I surely respected it.

"Responsibility for what? Damages here at the school? Sorry, that's your problem!" Satero said, missing the cue. I flicked a pebble from my clothes at him and made a kissy face. He suddenly stiffened. Tsukuimi lurched and roughly grabbed him around the collar, shaking him vigorously.

"Fool, I meant accepting thy role of Ashikabi!" She yelled.

"O-o-o-k-a-a-a-y! P-l-l-lease STOP!" he said in between her rough jerks. I made a face as she leaned in and claimed his lips in a passionate and surprisingly coy kiss. This day couldn't get much worse.


	11. Feather 9

Feather 9: Preparations

~Minato~

Satero had come home with another sekirei. That was the excitement of the day. All the tenants of Izumo sat around the table and talked. That's all we did. Talked. Well, Tsukuimi yelled at Yume a lot, but otherwise, nothing happened. I was still in shock about Minaka's announcement. I didn't have much to say, save for a stiff greeting to the hotheaded water vixen. Musubi knew better than to try and talk to me right now. I was afraid of snapping at her like I did the night of the announcement.

* * *

~Flashback~

"_Minato-sama!" Musubi called._

"_Not now, Musubi-chan." I said lowly, continuing to walk away from the house. I was having a hard time processing what I had just heard._

"_Minato-sama! Why are you leaving? What's wrong? Maybe I can help!" Musubi pushed._

"_I SAID NOT NOW! I JUST HEARD SOME WACKJOB SAY THAT WE ARE APART OF SOME TYPE OF FIGHT TO THE DEATH! I CANT LEAVE THE CITY, I COULD BE KILLED BY ANYONE AT ANY TIME, AND I HAVE TO WIN OR RISK LOSING __**EVERYTHING!**__" I screamed in frustration. Musubi went silent. She ran up behind me and just kept pace. She didn't speak, didn't touch me, just kept pace. She was escorting me. She had to safeguard me, so I didn't get annoyed by it. I just walked off my steam._

~Flashback End~

* * *

I just sat there, feeling down on myself while everyone pleasantly spoke. I never lifted my eyes from the spot on the table where I was staring.

"How long is he gonna space out like that?" I heard Uzume say.

"Beats me," Satero murmured.

"Tis quite odd he sulks like that. What ails him?" The water sekirei asked.

"Better we don't bother him." Yume said, being the voice of reason and my salvation. She must have been able to detect that something was eating me away, and didn't want me to snap.

"Excuse me." I said, getting up from my seat and climbing the steps to my room. When the door was shut, I let myself slump against the door. I couldn't get over Minaka's announcement and his threat. It was oppressive. It stole my dreams for the life I could have had. I was now trapped— trapped and enslaved, and there was nothing I could do about it.

* * *

~Satero~

"Tsukiumi-san, could you please lighten your grip? You're hurting him." Yume's concerned voice pleaded with my newest sekirei.

"So thou can whisk him away from his true wife's embrace? I think not!" Tsukiumi said in a huff. She was WAY too possessive of me. I tried to edge my arm away from her, only to be gripped even harder. I winced.

"I'm bruising!" I cried. Tsukiumi softened up almost immediately and began caressing my arm with her soft and womanly hands. Yume huffed in agitation. This was one bad recipe for soup. "Where's Uzume when you need some comedic relief?" I whined.

"I'm on break." Uzume said lazily from around the corner. The congregation had dissipated after Minato's strange actions.

"Perfect." I sighed sarcastically as Tsukiumi continued to go on about being my only true wife. This would get annoying quickly, I could already tell.

"Satero-chan, would you come help me in the garden?" Miya asked as she walked towards the courtyard. Sweet escape!

"If I have to…" I said half-heartedly, even though from the look Miya gave me, she knew I was only kidding and I was happy she asked. I peeled myself away from Tsukiumi and quickly hurried out the side door before she could decide to follow me.

* * *

Working in the garden wasn't as hard as I had imagined. All I really had to do was pull some tiny weeds and then water the plants. Miya was hard at work digging up old, dead flowers and planting new seeds. We remained quiet, content in the companionable silence, before she sighed and began to speak.

"Satero-chan, I've come to a decision. It is time to prepare you."

"Prepare me?" I asked.

"Yes. You are still raw, unformed and undisciplined. You are an easy target and probably would be the first to die or lose all your sekirei in this game." She said. My face tuned up.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Granny Miya." I said sarcastically and locked my face to prevent the defeated look from crossing my face.

"Don't get me wrong, you are gifted, but the Tengan alone won't help you. You have to train your mind and your body. Ultimately, you have to decide which path you'll take. Will you take the path of the fighter? Living by the sword and dying by the sword? Or will you take the path of the survivor, playing the game and hoping for the best? Or will you do something few will do? Will you make your own path? This game has taken your freedom. Minato has realized this, I'm sure, and you see the result. He has been utterly defeated. Will you succumb to that?" Miya asked me, asking questions I had been avoiding asking myself.

"…I don't know." I said, unable to come up with anything.

"Not good enough." Miya said simply.

"Well what do you suppose I do?" I asked.

"Not my call. I know my role, and I know what I will do when the time to make a choice comes." She answered resolutely.

She was right though. What was I going to do? Minaka, some crazed man who claimed he was now a god, our god no less, has trapped up in a death game, a fight to the last man or woman. I closed my eyes. I never really thought too hard about it. I sorta wrote it off, but now I couldn't ignore it. It was like a wailing baby in a silent library. It was all I could think about. What would I do?

_What would __**you**__ do?_ A small voice assaulted the back of my mind. It wasn't my voice, I knew that much.

_I don't know._

_You do._

_Do I?_

_Yes. You know the answer. You've always known._

_How's that, voice in my head?_

_Because of the person you are._

And with that, the voice was gone. I blinked. I looked and Miya was staring right at me, waiting for something. I frowned.

"Freedom isn't something a single man can take from another man or woman." I said almost instinctively. I blinked again. I hadn't meant to say that. I felt my mouth opening again.

"I am no one's pawn, or slave. I live for myself and what matters most to me." I heard myself saying. Why was I saying this? It made no sense.

"So what will you do?" Miya prompted me. Suddenly things clicked. I knew why Minaka's statement didn't affect me like it did Minato. I never planned to be a part of his plans anyway. I was going to give him the middle finger and do whatever the hell I wanted.

"I fight. Minaka can't control me. I won't let him. He wants to see some sparks flying, so I'll give him a light show he won't forget. I'm gonna take this game and tell him to shove it up his ass." I said, voluntarily. Miya smiled, and when I looked away, everyone was gathered around the door, looking at me. Minato was still troubled, but he was nodding like he liked what I said.

"Well then, the tenants of Izumo Inn need to begin preparations for war. The city is in full lockdown and the remaining sekirei are being winged quickly. Soon, phase two will be over and the actual battles will begin." Matsu piped up from the group.

"Good idea, Hentai-glasses. We start tomorrow." Miya said briskly. She stood up and walked inside past the group and to her room. I stood up as well and my sekirei flocked around me quickly.

"Nice speech, Satero-sama," Yume praised me and hugged me supportively around the shoulders.

"Couldn't have worded it better myself, Satero-kun!" Uzume giggled and nudged my ribs.

"Thine words were moving and powerful. Mine breast swells with pride for thee." Tsukiumi said in her odd dialect. I blushed at the three's praises and nervously chuckled.

"So…manly." Kazehana's voice rang out from behind me. Yume, Uzume, and Tsukiumi released me and turned to face her. I did the same and saw her fanning herself with her hand and blushing wildly. "That honestly turned me on, Satero-kyun…" She drifted, leaving the implications heavy in the air. I stuttered, trying to find words to respond to that when Tsukiumi exploded.

"Thou thinks thee can court mine husband? Away with you vile strumpet!" She yelled. Kazehana's voice darkened.

"Look, Little Miss Panty-Flash, the only people who can talk down to me are #1, The director, and whoever my ashikabi ends up being. Watch yourself." She warned before blowing me a kiss, winking, and floating off like a flower in the wind. Tsukiumi, unable to come back with anything just fumed. Uzume laughed at her and went inside. Yume just squeezed me again, then released me.

"Tsukiumi-san," I began.

"Thou will address thine one and true wife without an honorific or not speak to me at all." Tsukiumi said righteously. My eyes lowered in annoyance. I was about to correct myself when Yume sighed in frustration and interrupted me.

"Tsukiumi, please cut that one and true wife stuff out. It's going to cause problems at some point. You were just winged today, and you're already making claims. You don't have a right to do that. I was his sekirei long before you, and I've got news for you: I was his first kiss." Yume said to Tsukuimi, intentionally dropping the honorific to make her comments that much more cutting. My jaw dropped. Yume had never been this…assertive before. She never really fought that much with Uzume, but when Tsukuimi came along, she became agitated. Yume pointedly reached up to my face, let her breath wash over my face, and kissed me, making me melt like butter on the spot. _Save…me…please…_ I thought weakly before I fainted from the stress of the imminent cat-fight.

* * *

The next day was dubbed, "Training Day" by Musubi, and we all gathered around the table to eat a quick breakfast. No words were flung at each other. We all ate quickly, and cleaned quickly. Miya cleared her throat and said with authority, "Okay. We begin training." With that she whisked us into the courtyard for instruction.

Miya was very skilled. Much more skilled than she let on in her sparring matches with Musubi and Yume. I watched raptly as Musubi and Yume took turns battling Miya. Each time, they lost. The match would always end with either a bonk in the spot Miya would hit them, or pointing a finger at their crests. Miya would fight, and then teach. Wash, rinse, repeat. I began to get anxious.

"…And that's why it's better to make your defense your best offense. If you are always attacking, you can't defend properly." She said to everyone.

"Let me in there." I said impulsively. Miya raised an eyebrow at me. "I wanna fight. I have to be able to protect myself right?" I jumped up and walked into the practice space. Miya began to shake her head.

"You're an ashikabi. Valuable. Your sekirei cannot afford to lose you. You will be spending most of your time hiding and staying out of the way." She said.

"LIKE HELL!" I screamed suddenly. I had to pause right after my outburst. I blinked and frowned at the ground, unable to understand my lack of control. "I'm sorry."

"You want an early death? Be my guest. Yume? Better you than someone who doesn't love him. Teach him a lesson." Miya said simply and coldly. Yume nodded and swallowed hard, looking at me and pleading to just back down with her eyes.

"Just relax okay? You have nothing to prove. Let your sekirei protect you!" Yume tried to reason with me. Uzume jumped up and walked up to me, grabbing the back of my shorts.

"She's right, ya know. You're more durable, yes, but still very fragile in our eyes."

"Death's cold sting would be thine only friend should thee decide to battle a sekirei." Tsukiumi piped up. Minato and the others remained quiet, waiting to see what I'd do.

"You underestimate me. I wont run and hide. I want to fight. I have to get even…with her…" I said, thinking of Karasuba, the one who tried to kill me twice.

Yume frowned and adopted a battle pose. "Last chance," she said.

I didn't answer. I just held my ground and stared Yume down. She shook her head and then inched one foot forward. I shifted a foot back. She took another step. I lowered my body. Her eyes locked with mine and suddenly… I couldn't see. No scratch that. I could see her fist coming at my face way too fast. My hands flew up to block the blow, but all I felt was the air from her arm as she jabbed me in the chin. The force couldn't have been a lot to her, but it threw me back a couple of feet. She rushed again, and the same result. More ground lost. I was being beaten. I couldn't even fight back. I was powerless. Again.

_NEVER AGAIN!_

My eye twitched at the phantom voice in my head. My fist flew up before hers could connect and I parried her blow. My body wasnt responding the way I wanted it to.

_NO MORE!_

My head whipped left and I saw her fist punch through the spot my head once was. How did I-

_I'M NOT WEAK!_

I side stepped another punch and repositioned myself behind Yume. My speed was increasing exponentially.

_I HAVE TO FIGHT!_

I jumped away from Yume's sweeping kicks.

_I NEED TO GET STRONGER!_

My hands were becoming faster. I was able to swat away her fists. My eyes were aching now. My head was swimming. I couldn't control my own actions. My left fist clenched and I felt a surge of something through it.

_No._

Yume was beginning to fade from my sight. I couldn't see her. Instead, I saw Karasuba, swinging her blade at me.

_Why?_

She kept swinging and laughing, each missed swing becoming faster and faster. I couldn't see anymore. I needed to see her strikes.

_I don't want to die._

The blade sliced my chest wide open. Blood began to spurt. She brought her sword around for another blinding strike. My eyes were throbbing from me trying to see the blade. I tried to activate my tengan, but it wouldn't come.

_I'm scared._

The voice stopped. Everything stopped. Blood dripped to the ground where I was standing. I felt my chest, expecting blood, but I had nothing there. My eyes felt wet and they were throbbing. I tried to remember what I was doing or where I was, but all I could see was Karasuba's maniacal face grinning wickedly at me. Everything went red. I charged, screaming bloody murder. Then everything just went black.

* * *

~Yume~

He wouldn't back down, and I loved him enough to try and convince him. He wouldn't listen so I began to hit him. Each blow I landed rocked him, and he was obviously hurting. He kept backing away, trying to gain his composure. I wouldn't let up until he surrendered. What happened instead, shocked everyone. He parried one of my blows. He seemed shocked himself. I began attacking again, but he just parried or evaded. Each time though, I noticed something odd. His eyes began to dull. The more his eyes began to dull, the better he became. Soon, he was knocking my strongest strikes aside like they were nothing. And that frightened me. He wasn't even looking at me anymore. Then he just stopped and his head lulled. I leapt away.

"Miya-san, what's going on with him?" I asked.

"I don't know, but something isn't right within him. He's unstable. Everyone get inside!" She said to me, then ordered everyone else. She drew her blade from the wooden sheath. I blinked.

"Miya-san, you intend to hurt him?" I asked.

"Yume, get back." She said, focusing on Satero's still form. I looked too and saw something horrifying. He was bleeding from the left eye. Profusely. I rushed to help him, throwing caution to the wind.

"LOOK OUT!" Kazehana's voice rang out as a gust of wind knocked me off my feet. Just then, Satero's eyes opened, revealing an almost sinister looking left eye. He roared and charged straight past me, chambering his left fist and releasing it at an unseen enemy. His left arm was glowing and cackling with power, much like the time when we first met. I stared, shocked at what had transpired. Luckily, Satero's charge hadn't done any damage to anyone or anything. Miya still had her blade, but she approached cautiously. I raced to my ashikabi and grabbed him, restraining him. When I touched him, though, he just went limp. Unconscious.


End file.
